THE old regulation-musket, known in the army by the affectionate sobriquet of ‘Brown Bess,’ would sometimes, though not always, carry a bullet with a certain degree of precision about a hundred yards; but beyond that very moderate distance, no one, however expert, could make sure of hitting even a barn-door; the aim of the individual who pulled the trigger having very little to do with the direction taken by the projectile. We have lately had an opportunity of seeing a great many men trained to the use of the new arm; and it may interest the reader to learn something of the process by which the lad who has perhaps never fired a shot in his life, is converted into a more or less skilful rifleman.
Author: Research Press
Rifle Instruction in the USA
In the immediate post-Civil War years in America, there was understandably little interest in marksmanship or military matters from the general public. Whilst the US National Guard received plenty of drill and marching instruction there was scant, if any, marksmanship training. The impetus for the development of marksmanship skills within America’s National Guard units came from the pages of the Army and Navy Journal.
Measuring Precision
The 19th saw firearms evolve from flintlock muzzle loaders, using patched round ball and black powder, through to bolt action breech loaders with smokeless powders. As firearms development proceeded, so arms and ammunition needed assessing in comparative trials by the military. In the 1860s the National Rifle Association held competitive trials to determine which rifle would be used in the final stage of the Queen’s Prize at their Annual Rifle Meetings on Wimbledon Common. The system used to measure precision of rifled arms at this time was the “Figure of Merit”.
Parker-Hale ‘Goodwin’ Rifle Sights
The cased set comprises a Goodwin style rearsight with eyepiece and mount, a foresight with spare elements and mount, and a nipple key. The sights would have been used on the popular Volunteer and Whitworth rifles manufactured by Parker-Hale. They were manufactured by the late Rex Holbrook, a prominent member of the Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain (MLAGB) for many years.
Breech Plugs
The long range muzzle loading rifle is a specialty of its own and has components that are not found on any other type of muzzle loader. The most important of these is the breech plug.
Rigby: Rifle No. 15651
John Rigby – Rigby Banks actioned falling block single shot target rifle: set for the back shooting position; 451 Cal; 33″ heavy target blued barrel.
Rigby: Rifle No. 14614
John Rigby Long Range, match percussion rifle: 461 Cal; 34″ rnd tapered barrel.
Rigby: Rifle No. 13137 (attributed to Lord Elcho)
52 Bore Best Quality John Rigby Percussion Match Rifle of historical importance, being attributed to Lord Elcho. 32¼” heavy round tapered barrel marked “John Rigby & Co Dublin and London”.
Rigby: Rifle No. 12169
52 Bore John Rigby Percussion Match Rifle. 36″ heavy barrel marked “John Rigby & Co Dublin & London”.
Whitworth: Rifle No. 449
This is a military Whitworth, serial number 449 in excellent condition.
Report of Experiments
In the Annual Report of the National Rifle Association for 1875, General Alexander Shaler (President 1875-1877) reported on experiments with powder charges for long range shooting. The experiments commenced during the summer 1875 and were concluded that December. The aim was to determine the proper charge of powder to use in long range shooting in the Remington Creedmoor Rifle. Swaged bullets weighing 550 grains were used, and interestingly made of a hard alloy composed of fifteen parts lead and one of tin.