True Blue Sam the Travelin' Man

David aka True Blue Sam

Danno, of Sand Castle Scrolls blog passed away, much too young, the week of Thanksgiving. His son contacted Susan and me with the news, and now he has published an obituary for his dad on Sand Castle Scrolls. Danno participated in the e-Postal matches started by Mike Gallion, and hosted several of the contests. He brought the Rio Salado Target Terminators to Sparta, Illinois in 2014 for a shooting competition. While they were visiting, Gary Bahre guided the crew out to his engine shed for a private tour of his collection. It was a good time, and a great memory to cherish. Click over to Sand Castle....leave a comment.

David aka True Blue Sam

David aka True Blue Sam

David aka True Blue Sam

We have an Armisport 1853 Enfield in .58 caliber, and it is a good shooter with Minie balls. The first shot from a clean barrel will be off a bit, but then the gun shoots where you aim. I used it to take a deer in 1999, and it caused impressive damage to the deer's heart and lungs. The standard loading in the 1860s for that rifle was 60 grains of black powder. I bumped it up a bit to 70 grains, but I think 60 grains would have done just as well. The deer was only about 5 yards away when I made my shot. Too much powder behind a Minie is a bad idea. Too much pressure will cause the skirt to blow out as the bullet leaves the barrel. Minies must be cast from soft lead so they can expand to the riflings. Hard lead is likely to break at the bands, leaving a ring of lead in the barrel. Don't try to hot-rod your musket! Anyway, this video is a good one. I think you will enjoy it.