A long time ago I got into shooting Black powder rifles and later BP hand guns .When I got into Bp guns they were few and far in between . Or you had to buy a Antique and hope it stayed together . I was always interested in Wild west or Civil war history so a Civil war rifle seemed like something that would be fun to shoot . I had fired a friends Hawken rifle and it seemed a little more work than a slug gun . With a slug gun you do not need a patch to fit over a round lead ball and you do not need a starter punch before ramming the ball home . Another nice thing about slug guns they use a larger percussion cap than older type hunting guns .Another advantage the Military guns have is they were built to take a beating and will hold up longer than hunting guns . But as far as reproductions when I first started most of the Civil War Guns came from Italy and a lot of them had flaws They were cheaply made and cheaply sold . My first BP rifle was one such gun .A two band Short rifled musket in 58 cal .Made in Italy maker unknown .After shooting maybe 100 rds the Main spring broke . I was able to get a replacement . And after shooting maybe another 100 rds the spring got so weak that it almost recocked from back flash . Got another spring ,then the breach plug started leaking .I did remove it and clean from the rear a few times but that should not have caused a problem . Well I traded the gun in on a Cap and ball revolver made by High Standard with a Nickel frame  .A fine gun but no longer made still have it .At a local gun shop I got my first look at the full line of Parker Hale Enfield Rifles in 58 cal. all lined up in a row next to Parker hales Bolt action guns .This was in 1972 . The PH .58 Enfields had Real nice wood and fit and finish and was also very fine compared to all the other BP repo guns ,but the prices were more than twice the price of made in Italy junk .I found some info on Parker Hale and it seems that they used the same tooling to make the new repro's as was used to make them in 1853, so they are not really repros they are re-issues. another interesting thing the Enfield 2 band 1858 Musket and the later .58 Musketoon has 5 groves and Tapered or Progressive riflings .This was noted to make a big difference in range and making the gun very accurate .The Enfields also had better sights then most BP off the shelf guns . I finally broke down and spent the extea cash to buy one of the 1858 Two Band muskets .And after shooting just a few rounds I found out that it was worth every cent of the cost over other repos .I was able to impress people that did not think one could hit anything at long distance with a black powder rifle of any kind .Another thing The gun was built so well that I have fired Hundreds of rounds with out any mechanical problems . The only issue I have had with a British made Enfield was they all use steel ramrods (as do all Civil War Military guns) and the ramrod some times hits the rifling and after a lot of mars the gun is less accurate .To stop any more damage I made a brass funnel like ramrod guide to keep it centered .The problem has stopped . I have shot 11/2 to 21/4 inch groups at 100 yds with the right slugs .I had a Parker Hale Mold that was sold as a 100% copy of the 1853 slug mold but it did not do as well as a thick wall cup base non repo slug . I later got the Musketoon the thing must have been real old but still new in the box .The wood was not walnut but military light hard wood stained walnut . The stock was clearly marked Parker Hale / sile .Sile May have sub contracted for Parker H . Parker H was making FN Fal L1A1 Military guns aith wood stocks then later plastic at the same time for the British army and may have got behind . The shorter Musketoon shoots better than any Civil War Carbine I have ever had . I have had a few and when I get disappointed I sell them off . But I will at least keep the Parker Hale Enfield . The large musket caps make it reliable in bad weather and the .58 cal slug could stop almost any game in North America at far off range . I had a shoot off with a friend that did not think it had the close range power of a 12ga.Shotgun .Into hard wood the .58 was better than 3 or 4 inches deeper than the 12 ga .pump slug .(But Don't try shooting hard wood at home a lead slug might bounce back on you if it will not start into the wood ,Very dangerous !)I have Had a Whitworth rifle not the repo , Sharps Repos , Smith non repo ,a Terry and a Spencer and a Trap door Springfield Carbine 45/70 New and old . and the only rifle that could shoot with the PH Enfield 2 band Musketoon  was the 45/70 One Made by High Standard with long range sights .If you can find the right slug and the right powder load for a Parker Hale Enfield 2 band Musket or Musketoon you can do some fine shooting .Today a lot of the Civil War Guns made in Italy are much better than years ago . But I have seen a lot of Italy made copes of British Enfields some only have 3 grove rifling and some have the Parker Hale type or British 5 grove rifling .Be sure that you get the one with 5 groves if you need to be accurate .All Long barrel 3 Band Enfields (PH Included)only have 3 groves The British Army  in 1858 thought that 5 groves was not needed with a longer barrel and the 3 groves came at a cheaper price .The 5 grove Enfield 1858 pattern was issued to the Royal Navy at first for shipboard snipers and later became a standard for the Cavaley and Artillery foot units .Trust me the 2 band Enfield rifle will shoot better than the longer 3 band model .And I would rather have a Used British made Enfield than a Italian made one ,But guns have been banned in England now for years and they don't even make them in Jolly old England now ,not even for export .Stupid ! England now has a camera on every street  to watch the people for crime and bombings ,and new cameras are added every day .Maybe British Blokes needed to carry guns not have them banned . London is the most watched city on earth and things are not going to get better. Unless the Government starts to trust the loyal people down hill is the trend . It could happen hear to ! Anyhow A 1858 2 Band Parker Hale or Antique of the same as well as a 1860 Enfield Musketoon in cal .58 (realy .577 Enfield )will out shoot at range and with real power almost all the old type Muzzel loaders as well as some of the Vintage and repo BP breach loaders .The only guns that will run with the PH Enfields are the up to date in line guns . And they are not good looking or fun to load and shoot . You may as well get a Rem 700 in 3006 with a scope and drop that deer fast and go home .Black powder shooting should be fun and with a PH .577 it will be . Later you can spend the rest of the day cleaning the barrel . In reality One Shot muzzle loading Military Cap lock shallow rifled guns  clean up faster than a lot of other types of BP guns. Military guns were made for ease of cleaning as well as weather proof .As much as possible in 1858 . If you like this vote yes if not vote no