The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

dromia wrote:They are made that way but not loaded that way.

Loading is as follows.

You tear the top of the cartridge and dump the powder down the barrel.

Reverse the cartridge and seat the bullet and paper into the muzzle bullet base down.

Tear off the cartridge powder tube leaving the patched bullet in the muzzle, base down, then ram home onto the powder.

thanks, that did clear it up nicely, i was thinking you dumped the lot in, tube an all. Especially as you mentioned that the tubes got tired after so many firings, also thought that was why you needed the tube to be slightly smaller than the bullet - so it would fit down the barrel.

The cardboard tubes just wore out with use.

I like the tubes slightly smaller than the bullet so that the paper can be rolled nice and tight onto the bullet rather than the tube.

I was at the range today and managed to try some of these Pritchetts out in a Parker Hale P53.

Shot this 4 1/2" 5 shot group at 100 yrds, rested, six-0-clock hold, wiping between shots with a barely moist patch followed by a dry patch. The hole on the right was my fouler.





A sound starting point methinks to tweak from. I'm afraid the vertical stringing is something that won't go away being a function of the sights and my failing eyesight.

Here are some details from Roger Fentons series of photographs of Volunteers at Hythe showing platoon exercise for loading the Enfield.

Prepare to load.



Two different images of the loading procedure.







Ram home.





Cap.