New N-SSA Live-Fire Event: How does this affect your interest in shooting with N-SSA?

[LibertyHallVols]

Given the new competition using authentic paper cartridges, how does this affect your interest in participating with the N-SSA?

Link to thread:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?42646-North-South-Skirmish-Association-New-Live-Fire-Match-Using-Authentic-Paper-Cartridges

[fahnenschmied]

Re: New N-SSA Live-Fire Event: How does this affect your interest in shooting with N-SSA?

Only slightly more interested. It appears that Enfield cartridges will not be allowed, due to the integral paper patch, not to mention the clay or boxwood plugs, which might be a "sectional" bullet. Thus my proper Enfield cartridges, with .55 caliber Pritchett balls, clay plugs and beeswaxed paper patch, my paper patched waxed , Belgian/French .71 caliber Minie cartridges as well as my .44 Colt cartridges made of combustible nitrated paper are still not allowed? If no paper can be loaded that rules out a whole lot of paper cartridges - even proper smooth bore musket loads. It is good there is a movement in the right direction, though - but I have seen on some of the forums in the past where somebody asks about doing it more authentically, and there is a lot of hostility to the idea of changing their hobby. I don't have much interest in ramming down oversized balls down my musket from plastic tubes. Perhaps at the paper matches the balls may not be allowed to be larger than the Government regulation size too and not two thousanths of an inch smaller than the bore (or less). If you are going to do it "authentically", why NOT do it as close as can be?

[maillemaker]

Re: New N-SSA Live-Fire Event: How does this affect your interest in shooting with N-SSA?

Only slightly more interested. It appears that Enfield cartridges will not be allowed, due to the integral paper patch, not to mention the clay or boxwood plugs, which might be a "sectional" bullet. Thus my proper Enfield cartridges, with .55 caliber Pritchett balls, clay plugs and beeswaxed paper patch, my paper patched waxed , Belgian/French .71 caliber Minie cartridges as well as my .44 Colt cartridges made of combustible nitrated paper are still not allowed? If no paper can be loaded that rules out a whole lot of paper cartridges - even proper smooth bore musket loads. It is good there is a movement in the right direction, though - but I have seen on some of the forums in the past where somebody asks about doing it more authentically, and there is a lot of hostility to the idea of changing their hobby. I don't have much interest in ramming down oversized balls down my musket from plastic tubes. Perhaps at the paper matches the balls may not be allowed to be larger than the Government regulation size too and not two thousanths of an inch smaller than the bore (or less). If you are going to do it "authentically", why NOT do it as close as can be?

The wheels of change happen slowly. I also would like to try shooting paper-patched Enfield style bullets, particularly since the Pritchett style of bullet would lend itself readily to swaging, which produces much more consistent quality than casting. It may come to pass at some point that such cartridges are allowed, who knows. But for now there is an engrained tradition of "no paper down the barrel", for good or ill.

At this moment, there are no proposed qualifications for the dimensions of the bullet other than it must be of a period style (a conical expanding ball), that I know of. There is no stipulation to the type of lube that may be used, nor to what size the bullet may be sized. There is, of course, nothing to stop anyone from sizing their bullets and lubing them per period instructions. I myself am probably going to switch over to the period lube completely once I burn up the supply of 50/50 Crisco/Beeswax I have, in favor of the 3:1 Beeswax/Tallow, as I have found it to be a superior lubricant that allows me to shoot traditional minies (RCBS 500M) essentially indefinitely without fouling problems. In hindsight this should not be surprising since a ton of research and testing went into developing the period lube. I will continue to size my bullets to .576 and .578, as my guns best digest.

They are also requiring that guns have "unmodified sights". It remains to be seen exactly how this will play out. My Pedersoli P1853, which I just received for Christmas, when shot with the very deepest V picture and a 6 o'clock hold on the bullseye still results in shots about 6-9" high at 50 yards. I have not yet shot at 100 so I do not know how that will do yet. This could lead to some measure of frustration for folks who want to shoot in a more authentic manner but end up with firearms that will not shoot to point of aim.

However, there have been some interesting suggestions to perhaps cluster the targets (say, clay pigeons) close together, so that they will quickly fall more readily to volley fire, and then become more difficult to pick off the individuals as they remain. At this point this was just someone's suggestion, however.

And for right now, this is only going to be for "Traditional Musket" matches held at the Nationals twice a year. It is my hope that eventually period-style cartridges will be an option for anyone at any skirmish. I can't say that I will make them for all courses of fire, but I'd certainly use them for individual matches.

Steve

[fahnenschmied]

Re: New N-SSA Live-Fire Event: How does this affect your interest in shooting with N-SSA?

I think a truly authentic event would never be well accepted by the target shooting set. The whole idea of a competition is to see who can be the most accurate or quickest, etc. The recruit of the 1860s took what was issued him, whether it was English, Austrian, or old, and took what ammo was given him. Certainly not all arms will hit where they aim. I cannot hit anything with my WWI Gewehr98 at 100 yards, point of aim, simply because my sights aren't regulated for that. Then again, at an "authentic" competition, I'd have a full man sized size cardboard cutout. Any hit on that would count.
In a more practical sense, I have taken to using straight beeswax, at least on my Enfield cartridges. I used to use mink oil, because I was lazy and it worked. With modern sized balls, it probably wont do, being too hard to easily load. I haven't been shooting enough to tell, but it seems to me that paper patched, clay plugged Pritchett balls of .55 diameter, beeswaxed are equal to, if not superior in unscientific comparison to a Burton type or Pritchett ball of .575 in my .577 Parker-Hale. The ease of loading them is like night and day. But then, I tend to shoot just by myself. Might be fun to shoot with a bunch of other guys with muskets, once in a while!

[maillemaker]

Re: New N-SSA Live-Fire Event: How does this affect your interest in shooting with N-SSA?

I have not yet used Enfield cartridges myself, but I absolutely believe the Enfield style cartridge was a superior cartridge. I just finished Volume 4 of Round Ball to Rimfire, reading all the CS Ordnance correspondence and it is clear the Confederacy thought so also and worked for some years to standardize on the Enfield style of cartridge. It is somewhat more complicated to make, having three different pieces of paper out of two different stocks of paper, as opposed to one single style for the 1862 expanding ball cartridge. But it was stronger and transported better. It was easier to load. And the smooth-sided bullet lent itself eminently to swaging.

I have also started reading Target Practice by Henry Heth and was amazed to learn that their target practice started at 100 yards out to 1000 or more yards depending on what was available at the training location. Their targets were quite large - 6 feet high by 22" at 100 yards, and progressively wider at longer ranges.

It may be that N-SSA Traditional Musket targets will have to be adjusted from the usual fare.

If you are interested in shooting N-SSA competition and want to see where skirmishes are held, check out this map:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zJsZG0eZdDIU.kSOtqeWZ3gDU

If you click on any range it will have the name of the region(s) that use it, with a link to their web sites.

Steve