To all collectors who don't shoot their rifles because they are antiques: please take a tranquilizer before reading further!

I would like to fire a Lee Metford No 1* with blackpowder, as originally intended. The typical reference inthe literature is that that the Metford rifling was discarded in favor of Enfield rifling because of the heavy wear experienced when the smokeless (cordite) powder was introduced. So that was the end of the story as far as Lee Enfield fans are concerned.

But the Metford rifling, like the Whitworth hexagonal profile, can work very well with black powder and semi-hard lead bullets (the exact hardness seems to be a trial-and-error parameter). I know that it is not possible (?) to get the original load of 71.5/75.5 gn into the case (L.o.C. 5883 is inconsistent, having 75.5 in the table, but 71.5 in the text). But about 45-50 gn of Swissicon ought to fit, and that would be enough to propel a 180 gn bullet over 100 to 300 yards with acceptable ballistics. After all, 70 gn will boot a 520 gn bullet out of my 45-70 over 1000 yards. I'm not trying for a black powder varmint rifle!

So, has anyone tried it out?

Patrick
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