An interest in shooting at long ranges is a subject which lies close to the heart of this writer. Impelled by the ancestral voices of two of his forebears who made gunpowder under the well known name of Curtis’s and Harvey and a third who bombarded Sevastopol with 13 inch mortars, he joined the Artillery and spent six years with 25 pounder guns which left him with a taste for long distance lobbing. Civilian life and a necessary reduction in the practical ranges attainable by the order of 90% left him with little choice but Bisley’s Stickledown Range and a limit of 1,200 yards. This is no treatise on ballistics, the author is neither a scientist nor an engineer and most emphatically not a mathematician. It is really an historical perspective from the earliest times down to the late 19th Century.
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Charles W. Hinman (1849-1922)
Charles Hinman was born 11 April 1849 in West Concord, Vermont. He spent his boyhood on a farm, and devoted his leisure time to trapping. As Private Charles Hinman with 1st Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, he represented the USA in the military rifle matches of 1882 and 1883 between British Rifle Volunteers and US National Guard. By 1888 and as a Major, he was assistant inspector-general rifle practice, First Brigade.
The Record Long Range Score
This fascinating article by Maj. C. W. Hinman first appeared in ‘Arms And The Man’ in 1915. It offers insight into long range rifle shooting in the US during the 1880s, and is a rich resource for contemporary detail on practices of the time.
.45-70 at Two Miles: The Sandy Hook Tests of 1879
The shooter at the heavy bench rest squinted as he aligned his .45-70 Allin-Springfield Model 1873 Army rifle on the distant target. The rifle fore-stock and barrel was cradled in a rest; the butt was supported by his shoulder. The rear sight was flipped up to its full height, so with no stock support for his head, the rifle tester from Springfield Armory worked carefully to align high rear and low muzzle sight on the speck that was the target – a surveyed 2,500 yards distant.
A Short History of Long Range Shooting in the USA
The history of long range shooting in the United States is fast approaching 400 years. Since European explorers and colonists first brought gunpowder to these shores the definition of long range has grown along with the nation. While the United States may have reached the extent of its physical boundaries the imagination, ingenuity, and success of those living there who seek to hit a target at further and further distances has not.
Alexander Henry Inventory
On the creation of an “inventory” of Alexander Henry’s rifles and shotguns, to gain an understanding how many are still in existence.
Dr. Goodwin’s Orthoptic Screen Sight
‘Dr. Goodwin’s Orthoptic Screen Sight’ enjoyed some success for a limited period in the early 1860’s. This article plots the introduction and history of this short lived and innovative rifle sight.
British Gunmakers
These documents are studies of British gunmakers and the gun trade. Included is a list of English and Welsh provincial gunsmiths and gunmakers from 1550 to 1850.
The Brunswick Rifle
This curious arm with its two-groove bore and belted bullet remained in the hands of Regulars, Militia and Native troops for almost half a century, despite complaints of the guns inaccuracy and difficult loading system. The weapon replaced the seven-groove quarter-turn Baker rifle that had been in use for almost 25 years. The Baker in turn replaced the old smooth-bore Brown Bess.
Brunswick Rifle
INDEX. This curious arm with its two-groove bore and belted bullet remained in the hands of Regulars, Militia and Native troops for almost half a century.
The Queen’s Prize
The National Rifle Association was founded in 1859 and held its first annual rifle meeting at Wimbledon in 1860. Queen Victoria fired the inaugural shot at the first rifle meeting on 2 July 1860. The Queen further offered encouragement by founding an annual prize that Volunteers competed for in two stages; originally the first stage was fired at 300, 500 and 600 yards, and the second at 800, 900 and 1000 yards. Prize money was £250.
The Mechanical Genius and Works of the late Sir Joseph Whitworth
Mr. John Fernie, C.E., member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, etc., of England, delivered a most entertaining and instructive address upon “The Mechanical Genius and Works of the late Sir Joseph Whitworth.” Full of years, of honors, of wealth, which he gained by the most unremitting toil and industry, there passed a way to the majority, on the 22nd of January last, one of the greatest of modern engineers.