Shooting Military rifles like they were designed to be used

[Stantheman86]

My nephew in the 101st would make you think twice. He's a good ole boy from the Tarheel state and yeah, the kid can shoot. If you're going to shoot for money with him, just save your ammo and give him the cash cuz he's going to get it anyway. Better not to get embarrassed at the same time. The guys in his outfit call him "Hillbilly" for that reason and he seems to be the only one who knows how to read a map and compass and build a fire and shelter in a driving rain storm. I guess he listened pretty well when we had him in Scouts.

Is he shooting an M16, a scoped hunting rifle or a Rifle-Musket

 

[Stantheman86]

Still don't get your point with out a comparison of the two projectiles at point blank range. At 100 yards a smoothbore is pretty much a slow spray and pray weapon on an single target. Volley fire into a group would be something akin to spray and pray. YMMV

Why does this idea continue to exist that a smoothbore musket just bloops round balls out in some random direction and they "aren't any good past Point Blank range "

It's more Gun Show lore - Reenactorism from the 1950s and 60s that refuses to die

 

[dave951]

Is he shooting an M16, a scoped hunting rifle or a Rifle-Musket

Doesn't matter. He's one of "those" guys who seem to have a natural ability.

 

[Nazgul58]

50 yards , standing, with .65 round ball
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According to your chart you are less than 175 yards it should be 100% hits on the outline of the man???

Don

100 Yards from standing with .65 round ball cartridges
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I have a Pedersoli 1816 Springfield percussion conversion with a rear sight, it's a repro of the muskets that were converted and had rear sights added, but weren't rifled

The rear sight helps to shoot accurately, but results with my 1795 Springfield are similar which has no rear sight.

A .69 Smoothbore can be a very capable weapon and this musket will shoot with some of my .58s at 50 and 100.

At 200 I can probably land 1 in 5 on a Q Target. At 300 it's just a pot shot but it still gets them out there

 

[springfield art]

Gemmer, the OP stated shooting as intended. While the NSSA may be target accurate, they are not shooting as intended, so yes, I will laugh at them. Particularly when they tout their historical accuracy.

A visit to their site shows discussions on glass-bedding the barrels, use of graphite and powder coated bullets, higher front sights installed (not makeshift) which bayonets will not fit over, specifically sized bullets to the individual rifles, light/tailored loads, etc.

I’m not going to debate their target accuracy, but calling them historically accurate, they ain’t.

Mike

They're focusing on the Shooting and Weapons, not on stitch-counting the uniforms. They're not "re-enactors" worrying about how their photos are gonna look; it's about the technical use of the firearms.

 

[Stantheman86]

According to your chart you are less than 175 yards it should be 100% hits on the outline of the man???

Don

I'm slackin' I guess

I must have heard shooting in the next lane and got rattled like Jupiter in "Glory"

 

[aussie pete]

I'm certainly not shooting my Parker Hale Enfield 1853 like it's designed to do. I went to the range this morning, in peacetime, a balmy 30 degrees C - no one shooting back is always good! I shot benched, at 50M. The minie I use, cannot be described as a minie at all, really. It's from a Lyman 575494 mold, more of a wadcutter, though still with hollow base. It sure cuts nice round holes. I'll let the images do the talking; I'm sure the group can be tightened up. I thought I had fired a ten-shot group, but found the tenth minie smiling at me, still in the box, after I had retrieved the target. Now, to begin cleaning ...

Pete

 

[Stantheman86]

I'm certainly not shooting my Parker Hale Enfield 1853 like it's designed to do. I went to the range this morning, in peacetime, a balmy 30 degrees C - no one shooting back is always good! I shot benched, at 50M. The minie I use, cannot be described as a minie at all, really. It's from a Lyman 575494 mold, more of a wadcutter, though still with hollow base. It sure cuts nice round holes. I'll let the images do the talking; I'm sure the group can be tightened up. I thought I had fired a ten-shot group, but found the tenth minie smiling at me, still in the box, after I had retrieved the target. Now, to begin cleaning ...

Pete
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At the end of the day, they are all Target Rifles or maybe Hunting Rifles for some now .

To be totally honest my most accurate rifle at this time is my Pedersoli CS Richmond with a 209 Primer adapter, that I use 777 in .

I enjoy making paper cartridges and shooting real Black, but sometimes I like getting weird too just like everyone else I guess

 

[Muley Gil]

I'm certainly not shooting my Parker Hale Enfield 1853 like it's designed to do. I went to the range this morning, in peacetime, a balmy 30 degrees C - no one shooting back is always good! I shot benched, at 50M. The minie I use, cannot be described as a minie at all, really. It's from a Lyman 575494 mold, more of a wadcutter, though still with hollow base. It sure cuts nice round holes. I'll let the images do the talking; I'm sure the group can be tightened up. I thought I had fired a ten-shot group, but found the tenth minie smiling at me, still in the box, after I had retrieved the target. Now, to begin cleaning ...

Pete
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Why are you using Semolina filler?

 

[aussie pete]

Why are you using Semolina filler?

Well, I was getting mediocre accuracy at the outset with this Lyman mold, then I saw a few fellows using a filler at the Romanian International championships with success (internet). Local competitors (I'm not a competitor in rifled musket), say that they saw results with equal amounts of filler to powder charge. The theory is that the filler assists in expanding the skirt of the minie into the rifling, much in the same way as the old wooden or clay plugs did. Perhaps it raises the pressure too. Mind, this is all conjecture on my part; all I know is, that when I started using the filler, my groups tightened up somewhat.

Others in the know may chime in here and add some scientific fact to the practice.

My main aim in using the small Lyman minie was to save on lead and powder. The minie is dropping at 320gns with pure lead, and the powder charge is only 37gns. That's a good saving over a year, versus a 500gn minie and 55gns of powder - and Australian suppliers are asking a premium for black powder just now! I do just shoot this rifle, as well as my two band Enfield, for pure entertainment and enjoyment; I do like to hit the target though, and smaller groups look nice .

Cheers Pete

 

[Stantheman86]

Those guys "mediocre " is probably totally acceptable accuracy to me