[DutchmanDick]

Got my breechplug wrench from Dixie Gunworks on Friday. The replacement for my broken rear barrel band spring arrived yesterday. Pulled the breechplug today, and the verdict is...?

Well, the threads on the breechplug were cleaner than clean - not a speck of rust on them. The face of the plug, once the crud was cleaned off, was quite pitted - no real surprise there - but not terribly deeply. No safety issues there, just might be a bear to clean. Good thing I use American Pioneer Powder, since it's not corrosive to steel. The bore, once it got a thorough scrubbing, showed quite a bit of pitting towards the breech. Not deep enough to render the gun structurally unsafe, but copious pitting nonetheless (I've seen MUCH worse bores than this. It doesn't rate "sewer pipe", but it's certainly not "NRA good", either). The rifling does go all the way to the breech, though, which gives me some hope of being able to hit something with the gun. Don't know if I'll have a leading problem or not. The pitting decreases as you look towards the muzzle. Near as I can judge, this gun should be a shooter, but I'll tie a string to the trigger the first time around...;)

[Steve499]

Where did you come up with your rifle? I saw some advertised in Atlanta Cutlery's catalog. They were "as is" from long term storage with no selection and no returns but were original Enfields. Tempting!

[DutchmanDick]

I got mine straight from IMA. If you like to tinker, and are willing to take a chance on what you're getting, they're a pretty good deal. I lucked out. My gun was in pretty good shape on the outside, once the dried and fossilized grease/animal fat preservative was cleaned off. I had to replace all the wood screws (local hardware store, just had to burn off the zinc plating and apply cold blue), the rear barrel band spring ($12.00 or so from Lodgewood, had to make sure and tell them what kind of Enfield it was for), and the cleaning rod (less than $30 from IMA, though Atlanta has a "limited supply" of them, too). I decided to buy my own breechplug wrench from Dixie Gunworks, since pulling the plug myself was cheaper than paying a gunsmith to do it and given the age of the gun it would probably be a good idea to pull the plug every few years for a thorough cleaning anyway. Also would be handy if a load needed to be pulled and a worm wouldn't do it. I still got an ORIGINAL gun, in shootable condition, for less than a replica.:D

[DutchmanDick]

Forgot, I also had to replace the nipple. OOOOHHHHH - BIIIIG expenditure!!!;) Less than $5.00 apiece. I got 2, one a direct replacement intended for musket-size caps, and the other for standard #11 caps (which are much easier to come by locally).

[DutchmanDick]

Of course, the big expense comes in the accessories!:D So far, I've gotten an Enfield-style cartridge box with tin and sling-strap, and a musket cap pouch, all from "Butternuts & Bluecoats" Civil War sutlers; a bayonet and sheath and a belt-frog for same from another sutler called "The Blockade Runner", and 100 cast minie balls and a minie-ball sizer from Dixie Gunworks. Still trying to decide what bullet mold to get, so I can start casting my own. Plus the Parker-Hale style "sergeant's combination tool" from Track of the Wolf. Oh, and then there's the paper cartridges I plan to make:rolleyes:....

[Coyote Rider]

Show us a picture?

[DutchmanDick]

It may be a while - my camera is on the fritz and I haven't gotten around to sending it in for repairs. But I promise, I will at some point post some pics. It really looks good!:p

[Perk]

Hey DD - If your camera is a Canon and is having blank screen problems, PM me. There's been a fix for that. :cool:

Reads like you got a good deal on your shooter!