Princeton Reenactment

[12 th Illinois]

     Just wondering if any fellow SSS members were planning to attend the reenactment in Princeton, Illinois next month.  Especially someone with the 45 Schofield. I would like to compare notes. I Plan to be there at least one day, maybe both. Depends on work.

12th Illinois

[Steel-eye Steve]

As of this moment, I plan on being there along with my .45 S&W Spencer. Its generally a pretty good event.

[12 th Illinois]

   Had the priviledge of fighting with Steele-Eye-Steve over the weekend. I finally got all of the bugs worked out of my Spencer firing blanks. I started using the 5-in-one blanks with a star crimp. I was still having occasional feed problems, until a gunsmith friend of mine thought they were a touch too long. After a light touch on the grinder, and taking about 1/16 of an inch off. They now work just fine. I only had one hang up this weekend. Steve let me try a couple of his 44 mag rounds, but they would not feed in mine. My Spencer has the Lane extractor, and his doesn't.  Don't know if that is the only reason they don't work or not, but as long as my 5-in-1 rounds work, I"m a happy reenactor.  30 grains of 2F and a small paper wad on top gives a good report.

[Steel-eye Steve]

   Had the priviledge of fighting with Steele-Eye-Steve over the weekend. I finally got all of the bugs worked out of my Spencer firing blanks. I started using the 5-in-one blanks with a star crimp. I was still having occasional feed problems, until a gunsmith friend of mine thought they were a touch too long. After a light touch on the grinder, and taking about 1/16 of an inch off. They now work just fine. I only had one hang up this weekend. Steve let me try a couple of his 44 mag rounds, but they would not feed in mine. My Spencer has the Lane extractor, and his doesn't.  Don't know if that is the only reason they don't work or not, but as long as my 5-in-1 rounds work, I"m a happy reenactor.  30 grains of 2F and a small paper wad on top gives a good report.

Yes it was fun fighting with you Sunday, I burned a lot of powder over the weekend

The bad news is that my blanks made .44 Mag cases will not chamber in 12 Illinois' .45 Spencer. The difference between our guns is that mine is an early one with the twin extractors and his is a later one with the Lane extractor. We did not have much of chance to experiment. I can see to possibilities for this problem. First is OAL length. My cases are shorter then the cut down 5in1 that 12th Illinois is using. We all know that Spencers are sensitive in regard to OAL, though I'm surprised that the first round wasn't pushed out of the magazine before the jam. The next possibility is the profile of the nose of the blank. 12th Illinois is using a star crimp, I'm using a .45 ACP jacket swaging die to create a "bullet profile". It could be that either one of these is the issue or a combination of either. If OAL is the problem, I wonder if .410 shot shells, which Major has used successfully for .44-40 and .45LC blanks, could be used as a cheaper case then the 5in1. I used well over 100rds at the Princeton event, that would be a pretty big investment in 5in1s.

[12 th Illinois]

Yes, 5-in-1 brass is a little expensive, $.32 per round when you buy 1000. So far they are the only rounds I can get to work. I've tried the .410 shell. They won't even chamber in my 45. I'll keep searching, but for the time being, it's the 5-in1.

[Four Sixes]

Hello, I recently moved up to northern IL and I am also a civil war and WWII reenactor in Florida and Texas. I would like to get back into the hobby. Would anyone be kind enough to direct me to the right people or group? When is the reenactment event in Princeton? Thank you.

Four Sixes

[Steel-eye Steve]

Hello, I recently moved up to northern IL and I am also a civil war and WWII reenactor in Florida and Texas. I would like to get back into the hobby. Would anyone be kind enough to direct me to the right people or group? When is the reenactment event in Princeton? Thank you.

Four Sixes

Princeton was just last weekend, Oct 11-12. Its generally a pretty good event and generally falls on the same weekend each year. Do you reenact cavalry or infantry?

[Four Sixes]

Ooo..well...just missed it. I do infantry mainly. But have few gears for my CAS event as cavalry.

[12 th Illinois]

Four Sixes

What part of northern Illinois. We have infantry folk fall in with our dismounts all the time. You can email me at medic_633@yahoo.com.    Rick,  12th Illinois Cavalry

[Steel-eye Steve]

Four Sixes

What part of northern Illinois. We have infantry folk fall in with our dismounts all the time. You can email me at medic_633@yahoo.com.    Rick,  12th Illinois Cavalry

Rick,

Does Rockford still have an event?