Just started a post and hit SOME key that lost it.
Innyhoo.
Sure, all the troops on both sides were excellent marksmen. They could put your eye out at 500 yards. BS.
OR, they were green draftees who couldn't shoot worth a damn.
FL,
"George,
I'll bet that reference comes from the same self-proclaimed "experts" ...."
Actually, my reference is from "The Story of the Guns", dated 1863, about the battle between Whitworth and Armstrong to re-arm Britain, and hence the world.
I don't know if I can copy from the PDF. Here goes.....Nope can't.
Quote:"The soldier was told, in firing at a man at 600 yards, to fire 130 feet above him." "Or in other words, if you wanted to hit a church door, aim at the weathercock", BUT, "considering the lateral deviation, the chances were certainly 2 to 1 that you would miss the church altogether".
These were not the Pennsylvania rifles, nor Kentucky rifles. They were mass produced muskets. .58 calibre, no? NOT 500 yard hit you in the head rifles. And I don't mean those .36 and .40 cal. rifles that woodsmen used.
Here's another citation. I haven't read this one. Ranges are minimal:
http://books.google.com/books?id=NW...X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA150,M1
Rifled muskets were NOT accurate. You guys are not, for the most part, shooting rifled muskets. Nor are you shooting in battle conditions.
As to that, you are also saying that you will shoot at a deer sized animal at less than a 100 yards, and advising others to do the same. You can't in one breath say that you have a 1,000 yard gun, but you "prefer", possibly because the deer will spoil by the time you trek that far to gut it, to shoot JUST 100 yard shots, so you can get it before it spoils.
44cap,
Never happen. You're dreaming, or you are thinking of some of the oaters you've watched.
Why, if you guys have such superaccurate BP rifles, do you still brag about your 50 and 100 yard groups? One inch 50's, 4 inch 100's, and if you went to 200, what, 12 or 16 inches?That is with your rifles, today. Off the bench. Swab after shots.
Heat of battle, all fouled, load a ball or bullet and knock a general off his horse at 1,000 yards? A once in a lifetime shot, never to be repeated.
There were accurate rifles in the Civil War. Sharps, Bernards, others, Hall rifles. But the mass of the millions involved were armed with basically punkin ball shooters..
Accuracy was secondary. Further in the link above, it says that target practice was not done. Cost of ammunition.
Though I now shoot almost all BP revolvers, I did shoot long range target grade rifle. 20X scope. Good bench. 100 yds., sub one inch, 200 sub two inch. Had we a 500 yard range, probably could have held about 5 inches.
45 years since I was able to shoot a 500 yard range, at PI with an M-14. Though I liked the M1 better, that sumbitch COULD shoot, if you could hold it.
Cheers,
George
Innyhoo.
Sure, all the troops on both sides were excellent marksmen. They could put your eye out at 500 yards. BS.
OR, they were green draftees who couldn't shoot worth a damn.
FL,
"George,
I'll bet that reference comes from the same self-proclaimed "experts" ...."
Actually, my reference is from "The Story of the Guns", dated 1863, about the battle between Whitworth and Armstrong to re-arm Britain, and hence the world.
I don't know if I can copy from the PDF. Here goes.....Nope can't.
Quote:"The soldier was told, in firing at a man at 600 yards, to fire 130 feet above him." "Or in other words, if you wanted to hit a church door, aim at the weathercock", BUT, "considering the lateral deviation, the chances were certainly 2 to 1 that you would miss the church altogether".
These were not the Pennsylvania rifles, nor Kentucky rifles. They were mass produced muskets. .58 calibre, no? NOT 500 yard hit you in the head rifles. And I don't mean those .36 and .40 cal. rifles that woodsmen used.
Here's another citation. I haven't read this one. Ranges are minimal:
http://books.google.com/books?id=NW...X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA150,M1
Rifled muskets were NOT accurate. You guys are not, for the most part, shooting rifled muskets. Nor are you shooting in battle conditions.
As to that, you are also saying that you will shoot at a deer sized animal at less than a 100 yards, and advising others to do the same. You can't in one breath say that you have a 1,000 yard gun, but you "prefer", possibly because the deer will spoil by the time you trek that far to gut it, to shoot JUST 100 yard shots, so you can get it before it spoils.
44cap,
Never happen. You're dreaming, or you are thinking of some of the oaters you've watched.
Why, if you guys have such superaccurate BP rifles, do you still brag about your 50 and 100 yard groups? One inch 50's, 4 inch 100's, and if you went to 200, what, 12 or 16 inches?That is with your rifles, today. Off the bench. Swab after shots.
Heat of battle, all fouled, load a ball or bullet and knock a general off his horse at 1,000 yards? A once in a lifetime shot, never to be repeated.
There were accurate rifles in the Civil War. Sharps, Bernards, others, Hall rifles. But the mass of the millions involved were armed with basically punkin ball shooters..
Accuracy was secondary. Further in the link above, it says that target practice was not done. Cost of ammunition.
Though I now shoot almost all BP revolvers, I did shoot long range target grade rifle. 20X scope. Good bench. 100 yds., sub one inch, 200 sub two inch. Had we a 500 yard range, probably could have held about 5 inches.
45 years since I was able to shoot a 500 yard range, at PI with an M-14. Though I liked the M1 better, that sumbitch COULD shoot, if you could hold it.
Cheers,
George