Antique Enfield rifle

[keithinvestigations]

I recently purchased an Enfield Rifle from the civil war era.  It is stamped 1860.  I'm trying to figure out what caliber the rifle is.  I took a .577 dug bullet and put it in the end of the barrel and it is too small.  A .58 seems to be a better fit but I know nothing about this rifle and how tight the bullet should be towards the muzzle.  Could someone give me information on how I can determine the caliber of this rifle?  I have the gun disassembled and it has 1/17 on the bottom of the barrel.  Thanks.

[Hooker]

   
  Enfield rifle-musket    [/size]The Enfield Rifle Musket was an imported rifle used fairly equally between the  Union and Confederate forces, with nearly 400,000 of them imported on each side.  It was named for the armory in Britain where it was manufactured.  One of the biggest advantages of the Enfield Rifle, was the fact that ammunition  was interchangeable between it and the Springfield 1861. Both fired what  amounted to a .58 caliber slug.  This rifle was in fact quite a bit more  accurate at long distance than the Springfield 1861, with good accuracy up to  1,100 yards. But, infantry complained of rough stocks and handmade metal parts, rather than machine made parts.   Still, it was considered the most important weapon for the armies of the South.

[keith44]

I spoke with a re-enactor a couple years ago about his Enfield.  His was a mix of new and original parts.  (new stock, ram rod, and new sights.  The barrel, trigger and lock plate were originals, can't remember about the springs, pivots, etc.)  His load was 60 gr 0f 2F with a .58 cal minne ball.  The projectile was a tad loose in the bore, but he could get reasonable accuracy from it.  3" 80 yard groups with a barrel made for the civil war!!
 

[mcwoodduck]

.577 is correct.  If you are goingto shoot a round ball you are going to have a patch that will give you a nice snug fit.
If you are going to shoot a Minnie ball you want a loose fit.  The concave base of the minnie ball expands to lock into the rifling.  The powder seats inside the hole and the explosion expands the skirt to lock into the groves making them extremely accurate.
In battle you want a loose fit.  The crud created by shooting black powder the small bullet will slide down a fouled bore where as a tight fit will not.  You also want to beable to get the projectile out easily if it gets wet due to rain, humidity, crossing a stream or river.....
You get the idea.

[tacklebury]

Yep, Lee has a 58 Minie mold along with their modern versions also too.
https://factorysales.com/html/xcart/catalog/blackpow.html