Actually crocket, the main consideration in adopting the Hall series of firearms was rapidity in loading, not to ease loading while not standing. Riflemen were trained to load the standard rifle in
all positions, whether it was done firing in ranks or as skirmishers; this could require them to load standing in place, behind cover, on the move, kneeling or even lying down which was done lying on the back. The only advantage the Hall offered was in the number of rounds that could be fired per minute as long as the Hall remained clean and it's action wasn't seized up. After that it became a muzzleloader and was actually slower to load than a standard rifle. Even with it's relatively rapid reloading (when compared to the standard rifle) it wasn't that much faster than the 4 rounds per minute demanded of a well drilled, trained infantryman armed with a smooth bored musket. The Hall
Rifle disappointed more than it satisfied, it was never a standard weapon of the Regular infantry or riflemen, it's use was primarily as a militia weapon. The Hall design was more suited for use as a carbine for cavalry who relied more on the saber than the firearm in the pre-Civil War period.
And thank you for the reminder of the importance of June 6, here in this part of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, we still have a number of survivors of the first wave of the assault on Omaha Beach, members of the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Division. Not as many as we once had, but they are still among us. The 116th suffered heavily in the assault as can be seen here:
http://warchronicle.com/units/US/29th/ddaycasualties.htm
We owe those men a great deal.
