Range Report 3/21/21 Snider Enfield

I took the Snider to the range and fired 40 rounds.  Most of it was shot to use up the old cartridges with Pyrodex powder in them that I made before I got the good stuff so I can reload them with Swiss powder now that it has arrived, but I did shoot ten rounds with the Swiss.  The Pyrodex cartridges were made with 63.7 grains of "P" (3F equivalent) powder, and the Swiss with 70 grains of 1.5F.

Honestly, I couldn't really tell any difference between the two powders.  I know there is a difference, but given the wind conditions, today's results weren't precise enough to tell me much.  One thing I did notice is that Swiss powder smells very different from Pyrodex--more like burnt wood.

Regardless of load, all of the cartridges were made in the same way, with .600 X-Ring Services bullets I cast myself in fire-formed brass cartridges from X-Ring.  The process I used can be found here.

I shot four tables of fire, but the Snider was popular with the other people at the range that day, so only two of the tables were just me--the others were mixed with other shooters trying the rifle, so I won't record them here.

The weather was clear and sunny.  Temperature: 53 degrees.  Wind: heavy from 12:00.  The range was 100 yards.  I used a 6:00 hold and a half-sight picture from a sitting unsupported firing position.

The wind was a serious factor.  Although it mostly blew from 12:00, there were gusts at various angles, and this certainly had an effect on these big, fat, slow bullets.  Worse, the wind was heavy enough that it caused my target stands to move about significantly, which probably had more effect on the results than the effect caused by the wind moving the bullets; if the target moves after you fire, the impact will be off no matter how perfect your aim.  Although the results below suggest that the Pyrodex cartridges were more accurate than the Swiss ones, the effect of the wind was such that I don't think any such comparison is fair.

I am also coming to believe that I need to re-crown my muzzle; there are some nicks in it, and I have been told this can severely affect accuracy.  I also need to do a much more careful examination of the bore to see if it really is as crisp as I think it is and whether a good gunsmith can improve it.

Regardless (and notwithstanding my excuses), I am pleased overall.  First, it's thrilling to fire a rifle that's more than 150 years old, however well it shoots.  Second, I only missed the target (which is 18x24 inches, or about the size of a man's torso) three times out of all the shots I made, and only once in the two tables of fire recorded here.  No, I wasn't getting minute-of-angle results (not even close), but then this is a military rather than a target rifle, and hitting the chest is good enough.  I will be reloading with some different loads to determine the most accurate load for this rifle, but ultimately I plan to shoot 70 grains most of the time since that was the military load, and replicating that is more important to me than target shooting.

Table One:  70 grs. Swiss 1.5F.
Figure of Merit:  6.07
Group Size:        25.65"

Table Four:  63.7 grs. Pyrodex "P"
Figure of Merit:    5.41
Group Size:          13.87"

For information about the Figure of Merit, its use in historical shooting, and how to calculate it, see here.

Table One

Table Four