marylander98 said:
Hello everyone. im new to the forum and to flintlocks and wanted to know what the most accurate flintlock rifle caliber is? I've heard some say it would be .45 cal. I know how much powder you use is a big part of accuracy, I want the most accurate shot at 300 yards, so what caliber rifle should i buy?
thank you
TO do this with a traditional ML requires either something like the wall guns of the Rev-War with bore sizes near an inch and weights of 30-50 pounds or a cloth patched picket.
Next is shot placement. You need to have adjustable sights, a range finder and a book telling you, from prior testing, where to set the sights for a given day/weather/light conditions.
The typical RB rifle of 50-58 caliber is limited to 150 yards max due to the bullet drop past this range. Even for a chance at 150 the rifle needs to be loaded for 1800 fps or more and sighted dead on at 120-130 yards. Past 130 its REALLY difficult. The RB can easily drift a foot or more at this distance in any significant wind.
General Frazier killed at 300. Yeah it can be done. But shooting people on the battlefield is NOT hunting game. Had he been hit in the thigh or arm he would have been out of the fight and that is all that matters. That he dies hours or days later is of no tactical importance. And yes, this shot can be made by an experienced rifleman. But a man is many times deeper from head to foot than a deed from back to brisket.
Call up a ballistics program, enter .070 for a Ballisitc C. and then use velocities from 1750 to 2000 and see what the drop is from 250 to 300 yards.
Bullets. Elongated bullets were virtually unknown in flintlock rifles. By about 1830 the cloth patched picket was in use in target rifles in the east. But its very cumbersome and difficult to load and get good accuracy (better than a paper plate sized group at 40 yards).
"Naked" conicals were not used other than by the military or other specialty uses. These can be dangerous in hunting rifles and even in target rifles such as those used in Longrange ML matches ringed barrels are common. PP is very little better.
So they simply are not a traditional projectile for a ML hunting rifle. Too easy to bulge or burst the barrel.
Longer range? At the velocities obtained with BP you still need adjustable sights, a range finder and a range table with the conical. Wind drift is till extreme compared to modern HV arms.
Hunting with a traditional ML requires a different skill set than hunting with something that shoots enough to allow easy 300-400 yard (or farther with a range finder and range card) shots. Its more like bow hunting and spot and stalk requires the hunter to be able to get within 100-120 yards of the animal by skill and stealth. Its more fun than shooting from 300 which requires far less skill.
Dan
