Question about max range

[JBMauser]

At a local gunshow this past weekend, a guy was going on about the rebel snipers shooting the Yanks off a hill at Gettysburg at 1000 yards with Wittworth rifles.  I piped up that I knew of their accuracy but I did not think BP could develop sufficent energy to put a shot out 1000 yards.  My memory tells me 400 to 600 yards but you can only put so much powder in the barrel before you are just blowing it down range.  Am I all wet or ignorant of the power of BP.  Thanks in advance.  JB

[montana]

Do a search on the web for Billy Dixon. I got CRS bad but seems to me it was in the area of 13 er 1500 yds he took an indian off his horse. Then ya can go to ol (dang I hate when that happens) durn he's a gun writer what lives in Livingston, Mt. Any how he attend a test at White Sand I believe it was (Mike Venterino...The Iron Duke) (like a lite comin on in the middle of the nite) where they were testing with modern equip (radar, computers, etc) I'm thinkin that they figured the projectile landed some 3000 yds away and had enough energy to kill at thet range think the figure they used was like 600 ft.lbs.  Hope this helps muddy the water fer ya.  Charlie Bull  :twisted:  :twisted:

[Ray Newman]

"The .45-70 At two Miles", see link--

http://www.researchpress.co.uk/targets/sandyhook.htm

I've seen .45 muzzle loaders shot @ 1000 yd matches against cartridge guns. Rigby made some fine 1000 yd muzzleloaders for target work in the mid 1800's.

[JBMauser]

Thanks for the info.  It reminds me to never assume anything about BP.  JB

[sharps4590]

Or you can read about the match between the Irish Rifle Team and the US Rifle team, I believe in 1876, at the old Creedmoor rifle range on Long Island.  Much of that match was shot at 1000 yards and the US won over the Irish.  We fired Sharps and Rolling block cartridge rifles and some of our guys loaded them from the muzzle.  Bodine comes to mind.  The Irish were shooting Rigby muzzleloaders.  If memory serves me correctly, (CRS), we only won because one of the Irish team members put a shot on the wrong target at 1000 yards.  A year or so later there was a rematch and we won again, this time with no misplaced shots by the Irish.  There are published pictures of the targets and it was pretty darn good shooting.

I read the same article montana refers to and the guy running the equipment said the same thing you did, "can't be done".  Needless to say he was surprised.

Billy Dixons shot at Adobe Walls, Texas was a measured 1538 yards.  By his own admission it was a scratch shot.  Bill Tilghman killed several buffalo at 600 yards and Frank Mayer, shooting a Sharps with a German telescopic sight of the period killed several at 600+ yards.  I once made a crow real nervous at 520 yards, lasered, with one of my Shiloh Sharps in 45-70.  My friend who was spotting for me said it looked as if I were within a foot of him.  

520 grains of lead started off at 1100-1200 fps. goes a long ways!

Vic

[ribbonstone]

Takes something like 3.5seconds for a 500gr. RN .45 bullet to make it out to 1000yards, but it can get there.

[sharps4590]

After I posted last night I dug thru my library and found the account of the match at Creedmoor on Long Island.  It was in 1874, not '76 and the account is in "Ned Roberts Muzzleloading Cap Lock Rifle".  I saw a copy at our local library so yours may have one also if interested.  The cartridge we fired was the 44-77 with a 520 or 555 gr. bullet, (I forgot already! ).

Roberts book is a good read.

Vic

[Longcruise]

Long Range ML shooting remains popular today.  Not a whole lot of people involved, but there are regular matches including world championships every two years.  Here's there web site:

http://www.lrml.org/