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Post by birdman on May 7, 2011 19:49:51 GMT
How about a Girandoni-type repeating air rifle such as Austrian sharpshooters were issued in the late 1700's? 20 shot magazine in .52 caliber (22 shots in .45 caliber), no smoke to give away your position, no powder to get wet, relatively quiet, compared to a musket (I built a .45 caliber one - it sounds like a paintball gun), and lethal to about 150 yards. Truly the "assault rife" of its day...
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Post by birdman on May 7, 2011 19:52:51 GMT
It was a great idea, but in practice the Maynard primer proved to be unreliable in the field - the primers were too succeptible to dampness. That's why they were discontinued on the M1861 Springfield.
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Post by birdman on May 7, 2011 20:02:30 GMT
The earliest P1853 Enfields were made this way. One contractor would make locks, another would make barrels, etc. If the government needed a certain number of guns, the hardware was sent to an armory that assembled the parts onto stocks to make complete guns. Until the British learned from observing American manufacturer Robbins and Lawrence of Windsor, Vermont during the Crimean War (the British had a contract with R&L to make type II P1853's), the Enfields were not made with interchangeable parts. Even the bayonets were individually fitted to each gun. That's why, when thousands of older Enfields were imported by both sides during the Civil War, they were considered by ordnance suppliers to be "second class" guns. When the Crimean War ended, Britain cancelled their contract wiht R&L. R&L went bankrupt, and Britain bought their machinery. The type III Enfields were nearly all made with interchangeable parts (with perhaps the exception of a few made specifically for export by BSAT).
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Post by Larry Jordan on May 9, 2011 13:56:00 GMT
Follow through is critical due to the relatively longer lock times. And I, too, have been reassured that shooting them will improve (or reveal) one's technique (or lack thereof ). However, from what I've heard, it is hard to find a well-tuned commercial flinter. Improving the geometry of the flash hole should shorten lock times. All my flinters are custom rifles and finely tuned by Steve Zihn. Thus, I've avoided the problem by only acquiring production caplocks. The fine specimen that Daniel Day Lewis uses in "The Last of the Mohicans" is such a piece. It is fast. Check out the opening scene when he shoots the Elk (no ball in the rifle?!) and later when he supports the runner's clearing the fort. I'm sure a foley artist dubbed in the sound (great sound), but watch the hammer drop and muzzle flip. Rather short time between these two points. Here's an informal history of that gun ( the "Killdeer") I found after very little sleuthing. (I knew the piece was not consistent for the period, thanks to conversations Steve Zihn): A shorter barrel and bigger bore would have better fit this period (1757), like my 62 cal Jaeger Transitional!
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Post by caferacer on May 9, 2011 15:31:41 GMT
If I had to pick one for my self, given these choices, it would be a percussion cap riffled musket, this would give me nearly the reliability, accuracy, and range of a modern rifle with only a small delay in reloading,
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tsafa
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,309
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Post by tsafa on May 9, 2011 20:41:36 GMT
Here is a webpage I have put up listing the ballistics of various Black Powder Pistols and Rifles as I have measured them poconoshooting.com/blackpowderballistics.htmlWith 100 grain charges my muzzle loading rifles get about 800 ft/lbs.
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Post by Larry Jordan on May 11, 2011 0:28:33 GMT
tsafa,
100 grains! Isn't this way overpressure? I use 40-50 grains in my Blue Ridge 45cal. The reloading guide which came with my Pedersoli warned against going over the 50 grain max. But you are using 2x that! What's up with that? What have you learned? (Manufactures just covering their backsides?)
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Post by MrAcheson on May 11, 2011 13:29:26 GMT
The standard military powder load for an 1853 enfield is 68-70 grains. The 1861 Springfield used 65 grains, but it's proof loads were 250 grains. The Brown Bess fired with anything from 110 to 150 grains and the proof loads could be upwards of 400 grains! Of course enterprising British soldiers would often half-load to save their shoulders.
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