Whitworth rifle

I was wondering if anyone knows of any accounts of the whitworth rifle being used at ranges of 1000 yards or more in battle. I have since the comparison test between the enfield and the whitworth that the British government had done, but I was just wondering if anyone had actually used it up to those ranges during the civil war. Also who makes a good reproduction whitworth, I know parker-hale does just I don't what throw out 1300 dollars just yet for it. :thanks:

 

[Tumblernotch]

There are well documented accounts of the Whitworth being used with effect at the siege of Battery Wagner during the Charleston, SC. campaign at ranges of 1500-1600 yards. There are several other accounts, including a Florida sharpshooter hitting a man as he walked at 1200 yards. The shooter had to compute the speed of the man's walk as well as the range. There are many other accounts too numerous to state here. The book The Confederate Whitworth Sharpshooters" by John Anderson Morrow is a very good reference for the gun and the men who used them.

I don't know who all makes this rifle. Parker-Hale is the only one I know of, and I'm not sure they still do. I have visited their website and it stated that they were sold to another company, however it also stated that they still made barrels. Maybe David Minshall or some of our other UK friends will see your post and have a better answer. I have a very early Parker-Hale and it is a fun, though punishing gun to shoot. I haven't had an opportunity to use it at very long ranges yet.

We did a thread a while back called Loooooooong Range Gun. You can go to it and get quite a few comments on this great weapon.
:grey:

 

[Gary]

The aforementioned book is good. You may also want to look into the Official Records of the Civil War. There's plenty of info on the Siege of Battery Wagner on Morris Island, South Carolina. Whitworths were used by the Confederates there and after Morris Island was abandoned by them, some Whitworths went to Fort Sumter where they were used against the Union troops at former Battery Gregg (tip of Morris Island at Cummings Point).

Check out the thread in the Civil War forum entitled, "Bedtime Stories." It's all about sharpshooting.

 

[JackAubrey]

If I am not mistaken,I believe Euroarms is manufacturing a very good copy of the Witworth.It has the hexagonal bore and all.I do not know who manufactures the barrel though.They price considerably cheaper than the P.H..Something to consider,Jack.

 

[Tumblernotch]

I think the machine shop that made Parker-Hale's barrels may be still making them. The website wasn't very clear about anything. Some engineering outfit. I need to look again. I've not kept up with EuroArms, but I know they used to make a dandy P-53/3 Enfield.

 

[ResearchPress]

As already posted, Morrow's book is the best source for information on the Whitworth sharpshooters of the Civil War. You can order the book from: www.whitworthsharpshooter.com

See also the 'Resource' section of my Long Range Muzzle Loader web site for a list of other books and articles you might want to hunt out: www.lrml.org/resources/index.htm

Others more knowledgable that I on the American Civil War may be able to add more to the battlefield use of the Whitworth.

The furthest I have fired a Whitworth at is 600 yards.

The rifle, pictured above, is an original match rifle and belongs to a friend. He let me use his rifle in a match here in the UK that is only open to Whitworth rifles. I came 3rd in the match and my friend won it!

This however is not the pattern that would have made it to the US during the war years. See the following page for a comparison between a Civil War era rifle and a Parker-Hale. Whitworth Rifle - No.C423

Parker-Hale/ Euroarms are the only commercially available Whitworth rifles that I know of. Neither are reproductions of a specific Whitworth. They, and the 'Volunteer', are generic reproductions of a military match rifle of the early 1860s.

David

 

[jimbo15563]

Navy Arms is a US dealer for Euroarms. Here is a link to their Whitworth Offering:

Navy Arms

Unfortunately, there is no picture.

The following link is to Euroarms which provides a picture and more description of this rifle:

Euro Arms

Here are some pictures of this rifle that I found somewhere on the net:

Finally, here is a link to Thunder Ridge,who is offering a Pedersoli reproduction of a Mortimer Whitworth:

Thunder Ridge

Jimbo

 

[ResearchPress]

Finally, here is a link to Thunder Ridge,who is offering a Pedersoli reproduction of a Mortimer Whitworth:

This is not a Whitworth rifle, but a sporting/ target rifle.

The world governing body for muzzle loading is the Muzzle Loaders Associations International Committee (MLAIC - www.mlaic.org). All MLAIC competition events are named. The 'Whitworth' match is the 100m prone free rifle competition.

Pedersoli's 'Mortimer-Whitworth' is a rifle styled after a sporting/ target rifle by Mortimer and the 'Whitworth' tag is just a marketing name highlighting the rifle's suitability for the MLAIC Whitworth competition. The rifle does not have the characteristic Whitworth hexagonally rifled barrel and anyone purchasing it thinking they are buying a Whitworth repro will be disappointed.

David

 

I think the euro arms would be the best choice. I have heard nothing bad of them. They use parker hale whitworth barrels. It is also 400-500 dollars cheaper then a parker-hale :imo: