bamaranger
New member
I was having a discussion with a rifle shooting pal the other afternoon. The discussion got around to the Berdan Sharpshooters and their "qualification test".
Internet sources typically discuss either a 100 or 200 yd, 10 shot test, with "all shots AVERAGING no less than 5 inchs from center...."
The current interpretation of this would be a "10 inch group", but it seems like years ago, when I was actually working at Gettysburg, another pal and I came up with a slightly different explanation. Our interpretation hinged on the idea that one hundred years later, we were missing a bit in the translation......and came up with a concept down the lines of a "50 inch string"...but I cannot recall exactly what we promoted.
Additionally, it seems much in vogue to tack up a 9 - 10inch white circle(pieplate) at 100-200 yds and the licensed guides then make statements to the effect that one would have to hit that target 10 times. That seems a stretch.....as I suspect the actual target would have be much larger.......to allow accuracy with the sights of the day.
Would like to hear comments about the shoot in, and how big the target might have been, and any other comments regards the qualification.
Internet sources typically discuss either a 100 or 200 yd, 10 shot test, with "all shots AVERAGING no less than 5 inchs from center...."
The current interpretation of this would be a "10 inch group", but it seems like years ago, when I was actually working at Gettysburg, another pal and I came up with a slightly different explanation. Our interpretation hinged on the idea that one hundred years later, we were missing a bit in the translation......and came up with a concept down the lines of a "50 inch string"...but I cannot recall exactly what we promoted.
Additionally, it seems much in vogue to tack up a 9 - 10inch white circle(pieplate) at 100-200 yds and the licensed guides then make statements to the effect that one would have to hit that target 10 times. That seems a stretch.....as I suspect the actual target would have be much larger.......to allow accuracy with the sights of the day.
Would like to hear comments about the shoot in, and how big the target might have been, and any other comments regards the qualification.