What's the farthest you've ever shot with a long rifle?

[Shot deer]

Sorry about not responding a bit sooner, but in regard to your question, I am not entirely sure, but it may have been. I can't seem to find the reference to this particular event.

However, I did find another reference to another long range event with a weapon that would seem similar to a smooth bore fowler with a six foot barrel similar to some kind of chunk gun or wall gun. It has a pretty interesting story associated with it.

Here is the link to it:
https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/10/long-shot-september-1776/

That is interesting, and I would like to go there someday, check the island out, that is if a building don't sit on top of it

 

[juancho]

Mine was 265 yds groundhog hunting back in 2006 or 2007, missed by 1 inch. Never again was able or willing to duplicate that . Was total fluke , but I'm still amazed at what a .45 round ball can do.

 

[Eterry]

Targets, 300 yards with my 58 musketoon, 500gr rcbs minie, 60grs fffg. Using ladder sight set at 500 yards, hit a 4'x4' sheet metal consistently but missed a bowling pin in heavy cross winds by inches.
Game, a 15 year old me shooting at a cottontail at 125 steps. 45 cal prb, 60grs fffg. Bullet hit about 3 ft in front and skipped into rabbit, field dressing him. Deer, under 50 yards.
Like Elmer Keith said..." I like to do my hunting before I pull the trigger!"

 

[Juice Jaws]

Maybe so?
I know it's an old period tale from whom, I'm not sure...Bill Williams sounds right. I read it when I was a kid.

My personal long shot with a longrifle hunting was 94 yards with a 45. It was a heart shot. The deer, he went down quick but for me personally, I would not take that shot today with a .45.

Sounds like something old Jim or Meek would come up with??

 

[nkbj]

Threatening this year to get into seeing just how far away I can hit with paper patched in a flinter rebored to .52 x 28" twist. It's a fun experiment I want to take time to finish. Astigmatism may force me into a scope.

 

[Jack Ryan]

What's the farthest you've ever shot at an animal/target with a long rifle? How was it's accuracy, and what mistakes did you make (if any), and how not to do them. By the way, do any of you know why I'm back to "pilgrim" instead of 32cal? Sorry for the change of subject.

My furthest target is 130 yards so just for kicks, last time I had out my 30-06 I shot all the way around the world PLUS 130 yards just to make it a challenge.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

That would be a hanging metal target at 200 yards at a rifle range in VT. Shot low and to the right on the first shot. Compensated the same amount higher and to the left and hit it on all of the next three shots. That was with my Traditions Pennsylvania Longrifle. I haven't shot at anything nearly that distance with the Early Lancaster I bought about 2-years after that.

 

[Treestalker]

Carbon 6, the large craters are not your bullet splash, they were made by those Lunar Groundhogs digging to get away from your shots! And I heard Buzz Aldrin tripped on something on the lunar surface and picked up one of your Pickett bullets and had it bronzed and wore it on a neck chain the rest of his life! (dammit, Tommy, look out!)

 

[Einsiedler]

Dropped a big ol’ fat spotted sow at 95 paces (regular steps) with my old Centermark Fusil de Chasse. 70 grns FFFG, patched .595 RB. That was almost 20 years ago.

Relived that shot this past weekend with old son. We were on the same ranch again for annual hog hunt. Visiting the spot, we walked it again and talked about it. My how the brush had grown up in 20 something years.

 

[30338]

Shot an antelope doe at 95-105 yards this year with a .530 roundball out of my plains rifle. Worked very well. Shot a 5 gallon bucket at 200 yards with the same rig and centered it on second shot. First shot just missed high. Last years whitetail at 22 yards was much more comforting.

 

[Cpl. Ashencheeks]

Apparently Daniel Boone is credited with a 250 yard kill shot and the other story that I linked to earlier in a previous post on this thread, a soldier is credited with potentially 300 yard kill shot with some kind of smoothbore punt or wall gun.

The British put out the Ferguson breech loader which did well on target ranges but it did not work out for them on the battlefield and the specially trained unit that carried these rifles.

During this conflict there was an American Sgt. by the name of Tim Murphy who was capable of dishing out some long distance with some sort of Pennsylvania long rifle. It was said he could hit a 7 inch target at 250 yards and is credited with an event at which he would take 4 shots at the British Brigadier General Simon Fraser with 3 near misses and the fourth shot killing General Fraser at a distance of 300 yards.

So it seems that a few of these flintlocks are certainly capable at taking potentially fatal shots at up to 300 yards. Still, these historical examples may have been embellished while being retold in taverns and changing a bit here and there. Although these ranges do not seem totally out of possibility.

Even later other historical figures like Davey Crockett would still own long rifle weapons from these earlier periods in our American history. It is said that one of the weapons that Crockett owned was a Jacob Dickert long rifle and that it may have been with him at the Alamo.

 

[Enfield58]

This is an interesting article which illustrates the British perspective of the American Rifleman during the American Revolution. I bring this to everyone's attention because the source for this article mentions the range at which the American rifleman could deliver a lead ball; 200 to 400 yards! And they could put their lead delivery systems to good use with amazing accuracy for that period.

Also note in the article, that COL Hanger mentions that the balls used would be no more than 36 to the pound. By my calculations that puts the weight of the balls at over 194 grains. So the calibers he alludes to would be between .50 and .54 caliber.

I've been a long range fanatic for years. I've put some of my rifled muskets to the test of long range target shooting before but not a flintlock. It's a new challenge that I'm looking forward to.

Enjoy the article: https://allthingsliberty.com/2017/03/prowess-american-riflemen-mystery-now-solved/

 

[rdane]

That was a five shot group. If the bullets are sized right, and you do your part, they are very accurate.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Up in Shippensburg PA, they held a muzzle loader sillywet match that IIRC went to 300 yds.