1861 Springfield as a Sharpshooter Rifle?

[Stantheman86]

I've been reading that the Ordnance Dept made some of the Sharpshooter units in the US Army use the standard 1861 Springfield as an interim Sharpshooter Rifle .

The term Sharpshooter , according to my research basically applied to soldiers who were more skilled marksmen and were positioned at flanks to engage point targets and target artillery.

The specialized Sharpshooters like Berdans Sharpshooters had to put 20 rounds into a 10" target at 200 Yards to be accepted into the ranks , which would seem highly challenging with a 61 Springfield using the "as issued" sights but a skilled shooter could probably achieve this. Berdan's Unit seems to have also used 61's too, until they finally got the Sharps rifles.

 

[Notchy Bob]

There was another thread which may interest you on this very topic recently: Springfield Muskets and Sharpshooter Units

I don't know much about the topic, but it is my understanding that the venerable '61 saw a lot of action as a sharpshooter weapon. There is a link in my post on that thread which may provide more information.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob