19th Century Range Finder

[Cowboy]

I just saw one listed on Ebay for $16.00 and some change. I haven't the faintest idea how to use one. :idunno:

Thats where I purchased mine. Thanks for the Tip! You saved me some money. I greatly appreciate it! Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:

 

[Rod Lassey]

The 1874 Infantry Tactics notes:
"With ordinary eyesight, the movements of arms and legs are distinguishable at 800 yards; upper part of the body, 600 yards; head at 500 yards; faces and principle parts of the uniform at 300 yards; buttons at 150 yards; eyes at 80 yards; white of the eyes, 30 yards."

Rod

 

[Many Klatch]

So "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes" was a real distance.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

Hey Gus,

Any chance you could find that again and share it with us here?

Thanks!

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan

 

[Artificer]

Dan,

I would love to find that info again and I've been through every Civil War Book I still have to search for it, but to no avail. It has to be in one of about 2 dozen books I loaned out and never got back.

Gus

 

[MSW]

Another great trick that works on the same principal is that you can estimate sunlight remaining by holding your arm straight out with the fingers bent at 90° in front of you and every finger width is 15 minutes of light remaining above the horizon.

I forget what the name for such things are. If it uses a dowel instead of a string it's called a "Jacob's Staff". Sea captains/navigators would mark a card to hold up towards a rock or lighthouse on shore that was a known height so they could judge distance off.
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1205/1205.2078.pdf[/quote]

way cool! thanks for the post!

 

[Calum]

I've posted the information to the most active USSS forum that I know of. If anyone responds, I'll share the info.

Calum

Dan,

I would love to find that info again and I've been through every Civil War Book I still have to search for it, but to no avail. It has to be in one of about 2 dozen books I loaned out and never got back.

Gus

 

[Cowboy]

Looking around some of my favorite sights and seen a Ted Cash 19th Century Range Finder. It looks pretty neat! It is solid brass with a sliding bar that measures distances from 50 to 800 yards.( So they say? )

Received it in the mail today. Here what it looks like. I will take it out next time I go to the range and measure some known distances and will see how accurate it is? Will post results later. Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Cowboy]

 

[larry wv]

Happy Birthday Calum. :thumbsup:

Larry

 

[Cowboy]

Yes, Happy Birthday my friend! Your now half a century old! :rotf: Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:

 

[Artificer]

Calum,

First, Happy Birthday!

I thought it was on a book mainly devoted to the Springfield Rifle Musket I still have, but could not find it in there. Would be thrilled to get the entire quote again and what book it is in. Thank you.

Gus

 

[Jim C]

That's really nice my friend. It even comes with it's own canvas drawstring storage bag? Let us know how she works.

 

[Calum]

Thanks folks. Half a century. heh :surrender:

Calum

 

[Calum]

'morning,

This link was posted in response to my passing along Gus' question https://books.google.com/books?id=74bJMeAUp84C&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false. It is downloadable as a pdf.

I've just skimmed through parts of it, and I'm not sure that this is the manual in question. However, it still looks like it's going to be good reading.

Calum

 

[Calum]

And another reference. This one actually sounds more like what Gus was referring to. Unfortunately not a link, but enough to likely find the manual.

Gibbons' Artillerists Manual, 1860 also has some guidance on estimating distances. "On a clear day, and with ordinary sight, at from 190 to 200 yards, every part of a man's body can be seen; and although the details of dress and figure begin to grow indistinct, the grades of officers can be recognized at these distances. From 400 to 480 yards, the face can no longer be distinguished, but the head, body, arms and movements, as well as the uniforms and muskets, can. At 600 yards, the head and upper and lower parts of the body can be made out; and of the uniform, the accouterments and white pantaloons only can be seen. From 750 to 800 yards, the body appears of an elongated form. Extended arms can be seen in profile, as also the legs of men in motion. The uniform can no longer be distinguished at 900 yards, but the files can still be seen, as well as the movement of troops, and the dust thrown up by a projectile ricocheting on dry ground. From 1100 to 1200 yards, the files can scarcely be distinguished, and the troops appear like solid masses, the movement of which can still be followed."

Calum

 

[Artificer]

Calum,

Excellent documentation!!

As I read "A System of Target Practice," I was struck by how many things were still being taught to recruits in much the same manner, when I went through Boot Camp in 1971, though with improved "gadgets" of different sorts.

That documentation also proves there was a good system to teach marksmanship at the beginning the UnCivil War, IF it had been used in greater numbers. This goes back to another thread discussion on this forum, where I had proposed something very similar, though less involved.

The information from Gibbon's Manual sounds like it was the genesis for the information I found back in the 1980's and passed on.

Thank you for bringing this information to the forum!! :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

Gus

 

[Calum]

My pleasure, although all I did was relay.

On a side note, towards the end of the book in the link, there's an illustration and instructions on use of a stadia. I haven't enlarged it yet, but apparently one side is graduated for use on infantry, and the other side is graduated for use on cavalry.

Calum

 

[skypilot39b]

I would have no need to have one but it caught my eye and I thought that was pretty cool! When I was in the 82 Airborne I was a (FO) Forward Observer and I was trained to call in Mortar/ Artillery and Air strikes on the bad guys.

H-MINUS AATW

 

[sunshot]

It's an old principle that is still in use. Think of the way mil dots work in a riflescope.