How far and how good is your Enfield

[Russ T Frizzen]

Actually, David told us in an earlier post about 18th century guns being " bedded" with layers of paper and varnish or lacquer. It still works. Its a technique that was used by boat builders to seal wooden boats.

You seem to be saying that boat builders once sealed wooden boats with layers of paper and varnish or lacquer. Boorish old me would like to know what you really meant.

 

[ResearchPress]

Will the moderator please shift all this boat building chat into the 'Workshops' > 'Craftsman' forum where it belongs? Thanks.

I was hoping to read more about the long range capabilities of percussion military rifles.

David

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

David, I think you'll find the conversation is quite over. Is it true that British military arms were bedded with paper and varnish or shellac? I would have thought that if this was found to be necessary the rifle in question would have been rejected as not acceptable for service.

 

[ResearchPress]

I am not aware of the use of paper and varnish or shellac for bedding British military rifles. There is an article on bedding on my web site that refers to techniques that might be employed and remain within the 'spirit of the original' rules emplyed in international competition.

David

 

[poordevil]

I don't really remember. I think it was in the booklet that came with my Parker-Hale Musketoon. The real English one from the 1970's.

 

[faw3]

I was hopeing youd have a answer we could ck because I know I've read and don't belive it at all, your Enfield starts out at a battle muzz vel of 900 fps give or take a few fps. Not hauling asssss ah mule I mean (so K Zonie? with that word?) Anyway it's dropped a 100 of that 900 in 100 yds, now at a 1000 yd shot the curve your eye see's and what the bullet will have to do to go 1000 yds is :shake: at best, :shocked2: but the good old boys from the South did drop way to many Yanks for them to smile about it. Still useing the Brits 75 grs , 480gr 58 , 1 X 78 in the 39" barrel to hit someone at 1000 yds required a trajectory of no less than 75 to 80 feet above your line of sight. A hell of a shot, and way to many made ln the USA back in 1861-1865, so lets move this to the CW part on here how about and really get into sharpshooter vs sniper :shocked2: Yes we had both,snipers now days belive some of those shots had to be made up (some have) or luck..but when they had shooting matchs in 1840,50s after the paper patch and bullet starter 100 rod shoot ofs werent no big thing. So moveig on... Fred :hatsoff: (catch ya on the CW part in a day or so)

 

[ResearchPress]

...booklet that came with my Parker-Hale Musketoon.

That's largely reprinted extracts from military musketry instruction manuals and covers the care and management of the Enfield. I don't see anything on penetration tests.

David

 

[ResearchPress]

...but the good old boys from the South did drop way to many Yanks for them to smile about it. ...... to hit someone at 1000 yds required a trajectory of no less than 75 to 80 feet above your line of sight. A hell of a shot....

'A hell of a shot' or I would have thought probably harrasing/volley fire, where a soldier was perhaps more likely at 1000 yards to step into the path of incoming volley fire rather than be the victim of an aimed shot with an Enfield. I am not widely read on the ACW, so perhaps the first hand accounts show otherwise. I do have a lot of experience at long range shooting and know just how difficult it is aiming at a big black circle on a white target - distinguishing individual soldiers with iron sights at 1000 yards must have been hard.

David

 

[rebel727]

I'm not sure but I think the longest recorded shot is the Sedgewick shot and the exact range isn't known. It's guesstimated anywhere from 800-1000 yds. and was done with a Whitworth. It was a head shot tho.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

That is the longest shot that I'm aware of too. And I'm not sure that it was a "called" shot either. There were others standing close enough together that the group could have been the target. I've never heard the rifleman's side of the story and that is the one that counts.

 

[faw3]

Just to add this and its bunk "the longst called shot" was about 2300 yds.( this was with target rifle and a bunch of yankee know how so...............) Fred :hatsoff: with a Witworth a little less and it hit the right guy but in the foot and it was just a"scratch shot."