Has anyone shot a Hall's Breech Loading flintlock rifle? What was the accuracy and could this weapon be loaded while the shooter was behind a stump, etc( in other words- you didn't have to stand up)? How well does the gun lock up? Is there gas leakage, etc? How fast was it to re-load. It seems it would be fairly fast since you didn't have to ram the ball.
I shot a Hall rifle (M1841, percussion) years ago. The gun was in very nice condition with a smooth face on the breach and locked up securly but there was some gas escape and it wasn't for the faint of heart - you could get used to it.
As far as speed of loading, none of us tried for speed but the average line infantryman of the muzzleloading era was trained to load and fire his smoothbore musket at least three times per minute. I would say that the Hall could at least double that speed. Keep in mind that while the Hall could be loaded and fired "while the shooter was behind a stump" but so could the muzzleloader. Soldiers were trained and more than capable of firing their muskets from behind cover, even while lying down. It was all part of "The School of the Soldier" in any military manual of the era. The Hall offered little in the way of advantage in that respect.
Hall rifles (flint M1819 and percusion M1841) were resonably accurate but were no more accurate than their standard or common rifle cousins, the M1803, M1817 and M1841. The rifled carbines were fairly accurate as well but the smoothbore carbine versions may have had a slight advantage over the smoothbore muzzleloading carbines due to the fact that the muzzleloaders used undersized balls while even the smoothbore Hall carbines used slightly oversized balls so accuracy was much better.
One thing you have to remember about the Hall guns is that they were VERY expensive to produce in all of their different versions. They were all made interchangeable though, whether made at Harpers Ferry or by the contractor, Simeon North. They were well made arms and initially quite popular with the troops. However, as the tolerances were very close by early to mid-19th Century standards, they did give problems as they were used. Gas leakage became worse with use and, worst of all, the action could freeze up at the worst possible times.
As long as the weapons were issued to well disciplined troops, the Hall was fairly successful but when issued to militia (as in the case of most of the M1819 rifles) trouble started. Militia troops used them in the Seminol Wars in Florida where the hot, damp climate made the rifles difficult to keep clean and powder fouling and rust rust caused severe problems and quickly turned the breachloaders into muzzleloaders. Good thing that John Hall had the good sense to equip them with ramrods! When used as a muzzleloader, The balls issued with the Hall were slightly larger than the Hall's bore and were more than just a little difficult to load, causing a severe slow down in the expected rate of fire. The Hall rifles were not issued to Regulars but many of the various carbines were issued to regular cavalry, artillery and Dragoons who, due to training and discipline, were more succesful with their use than militia who were well known for damaging their weapons and other equipment through neglect.
:imo: The Hall rifles and carbines were the first completely interchangeable arms made for US service and were shining examples of the manufacturor's art at the time but they were, in the end, a very expensive side road in military arms design. As far as modern use, when babied along they can be a great deal of fun to shoot and are quite accurate but, like the old line infantryman, I would prefer a reliable muzzleloader for steady and "serious" use. :results: