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1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

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PT7
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by PT7 » Sat Aug 18, 2018 5:22 pm

Thanks for the links. I watched the videos, CT_Shooter, and Hickok45 was really very enthusiastic about shooting the Springfield black powder rifle. He couldn't say enough about how much fun he was having!

Glad his excitement is spilling over to you about shooting your new rifle. Looking forward to your effort and progress to get it back into service. Targets from your first Range Report, and any closeup photos of the gun's "character/personality," will be very cool 8-) to see!

Have a lot of fun with this project....and ENJOY :!:
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CT_Shooter wrote:
BigAl52 wrote:CT have you put a bore light in it? What caliber is it? 58?
It is a 58 and, no, I haven't seen the bore, yet. I'm currently looking around for a local smith who has experience working with these rifles, someone who can examine it and determine if it's possible (and advisable) to bring it back into service.

Hickok45 has one that's in excellent condition and he's produced two videos that have me excited to shoot it.

Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkkLO0UMXBU


Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwx679bGz-s
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by Mistered » Sat Aug 18, 2018 6:49 pm

The .58 Springfield rifles are one of my favorite models - and I have a repro '63 Zouave, which is the shortened version of the original design of 1861.
Love to shoot it and it is DEADLY accurate with .58 cal Hornady Great Plains conicals, which the Springfields were designed to shoot (but shoot round balls NEARLY as well)
I used to hunt with mine in a special Muzzleloader only season here in Oregon and I can tell you a Mulie plows dirt with it's nose when hit by a 425 grain conical from it!
The Springfield's are fairly simple rifles and if you have average mechanical skills I see no reason you can not disassemble, clean and inspect it yourself for potentially shooting it again.
PM me for details on this if you like.
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by RudyN » Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:39 pm

Once you get it up and running again you will really like it. I have a reproduction 1861 Springfield and an original 1863 Springfield.
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by CT_Shooter » Sun Aug 19, 2018 7:30 pm

I'm meeting with an expert gunsmith, someone who specializes in antique firearms, on Tuesday to examine and evaluate the condition of my newly acquired 1861 Springfield (dated 1864) rifle. I'm very much looking forward to getting this historic firearm back into service. It will be an adventure for me.
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by JEBar » Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:45 pm

great to hear .... looking forward to hearing his comments
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by Todddanger » Tue Aug 21, 2018 5:41 am

Dixie gun works should have anything you need to shoot it.

I'd pull the nipple and maksure the threads are in good shape, then replace the nipple with a new one.

One of the things people miss on these guns is that the bore diameter can vary from gun to gun. I have a 1858 Enfield Euroarms that has a .576 bore. The bore on my Dad's Zouave is .573. I can shoot a .575. minnie ball from mine as it comes out of the mold, but have to run then though a sizer die to fit my dad's gun.

It's been years since I shot my rifle, but let me know if you need any help with it. With right size minnie ball, you'll be suprised how well it shoots.
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by CT_Shooter » Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:00 pm

Todddanger wrote:Dixie gun works should have anything you need to shoot it.

I'd pull the nipple and maksure the threads are in good shape, then replace the nipple with a new one.

It's been years since I shot my rifle, but let me know if you need any help with it. With right size minnie ball, you'll be suprised how well it shoots.
The gunsmith disassembled it completely to clean and check it out; however, he didn't want to force the nipple or the breach-end plug, both of which would not budge with some amount of trying. He said the nipple was in excellent condition in spite of being frozen in the barrel, and he blew compressed air through it and out the muzzle to determine that it was clear and would deliver a spark. He did a very thorough inspection and cleaning before reassembling it.

I'm not likely to shoot it very often, but I do want to. What brand of percussion caps, what powder, and what brand of mini-balls would you recommend? Local sources may be scarce, but if I have a shopping list, I may be able to have someone order them to avoid the hazmat charges. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by Mistered » Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:40 pm

What brand of percussion caps, what powder, and what brand of mini-balls
You''ll need 'musket' caps and the CCIs are the most common.
The Hornady 'Great Plains' bullets are the best hollow base conicals for it and are incredibly accurate in both of my rifles. Your '64 should be a .58 cal and the ones in the pic are .54 for my Renegade but the same bullet.
You can use round balls in these rifles but that a different subject and conicals are easier to load as they do not require a patch and lube.
As far as powder is concerned I 'weaned' myself off of real black powder many years ago and tried Pyrodex. There are MANY substitutes available but in a traditional (or replica) BP rifle Pyrodex is the replacement for BP. Many of the other substitutes are meant for in lines that use 209 shotgun primers for ignition and will not ignite consistently with traditional percussion caps.
Pyrodex 'P' is the equivalent to the '3F' granulation of black powder that is used in this caliber of rifle. Understand however Pyrodex is not necessarily cleaner than black powder but does not build up as fast in the inside of the barrel and on the outside around the breech. I can shoot many more rounds before a barrel swab than with black powder and while not cleaner, it CLEANS up faster than black powder - and the biggest advantage - it will be available where BP is sometimes unobtainable.
The max charge for a Springfield 61/63/64 was 60 grains of BP but I would probably start with about 40 in that rifle - and most likely stay there.
If you are unfamiliar with any of this get an experienced muzzleloader shooter to help you or follow the instructions for such in a KNOWN, quality reference such as the ABCs of reloading or other reloading manual that outlines loading muzzleloaders.
Someone else jump in any time!
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by CT_Shooter » Sun Sep 02, 2018 4:42 pm

Thanks, Mistered.
The info about the bullets and the powder is very much appreciated. I'll likely follow your advice on them, but are you referring to CCI 0301 four wing caps?
https://www.cabelas.com/product/Four-Wi ... s?slotId=0
They've gotten some bad reviews (and not just at Cabela's website), so I'd like to learn more about them.

Edit: I see in your photo the caps you use are 0300, not 0301. I'm guessing there's a big difference.
Mistered wrote:
What brand of percussion caps, what powder, and what brand of mini-balls
You''ll need 'musket' caps and the CCIs are the most common.
The Hornady 'Great Plains' bullets are the best hollow base conicals for it and are incredibly accurate in both of my rifles. Your '64 should be a .58 cal and the ones in the pic are .54 for my Renegade but the same bullet.
You can use round balls in these rifles but that a different subject and conicals are easier to load as they do not require a patch and lube.
As far as powder is concerned I 'weaned' myself off of real black powder many years ago and tried Pyrodex. There are MANY substitutes available but in a traditional (or replica) BP rifle Pyrodex is the replacement for BP. Many of the other substitutes are meant for in lines that use 209 shotgun primers for ignition and will not ignite consistently with traditional percussion caps.
Pyrodex 'P' is the equivalent to the '3F' granulation of black powder that is used in this caliber of rifle. Understand however Pyrodex is not necessarily cleaner than black powder but does not build up as fast in the inside of the barrel and on the outside around the breech. I can shoot many more rounds before a barrel swab than with black powder and while not cleaner, it CLEANS up faster than black powder - and the biggest advantage - it will be available where BP is sometimes unobtainable.
The max charge for a Springfield 61/63/64 was 60 grains of BP but I would probably start with about 40 in that rifle - and most likely stay there.
If you are unfamiliar with any of this get an experienced muzzleloader shooter to help you or follow the instructions for such in a KNOWN, quality reference such as the ABCs of reloading or other reloading manual that outlines loading muzzleloaders.
Someone else jump in any time!
0 x
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Re: 1864 Springfield Muzzle Loading Rifle

Post by Mistered » Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:05 pm

I'm guessing there's a big difference.
Probably not as much as you might think.
The CCI's in the pic I posted are six wing style and will be fine. There are also musket caps with no wings - go figure.
I looked up the 3001s and it states they have a lighter charge and are intended for reenactment use which would mean powder & wad only for noise.
I suspect some have used them to actually shoot with and probably got weak or inconsistent ignition.
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