GUN STUFF

[Monsterlover]

How is the bore hexagonal?

[RAT900]

The bullets or "bolts" are 6 sided as is the bore (my mistake on octagonal) so ...the hexagonal bore twists and the complimenting hexagonal bullet gets its spin as it travels down the tube

[Monsterlover]

Thats make the beast with two backsin badass

[RAT900]

Thats make the beast with two backsin badass

It worked remarkably well and was remarkably accurate at a distance beyond anything else in use during the Civil War period

[ducpainter]

remarkable

[RAT900]

remarkably remarkable!!!!  I might remark....stop picking on me I drove 12 hours back to hell yesterday and got maybe 4 hours sleep   

[rgramjet]

A 580 grain bullet, propelled by 60 grains of black powder?  At 1,000 yards that must be mortarlike.

[RAT900]

A 580 grain bullet, propelled by 60 grains of black powder?  At 1,000 yards that must be mortarlike.

my favorite Whitworth story:

According to popular accounts, on May 9, 1864, during the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Union General John Sedgwick was chiding some of his troops for lying down in a ditch to avoid Confederate sharpshooters at a range of around 800 to 1000 yards. Shots from Confederate Whitworth rifles, easily identifiable due to the shrill whistling noises their hexagonal bullets made in flight, caused members of his staff and artillerymen to duck for cover. Sedgwick strode around in the open and was quoted as saying, "What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Although ashamed, his men continued to flinch and he repeated, "I'm ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Just seconds later he fell forward with a bullet hole below his left eye. At least five confederate soldiers would later claim that they had fired the fatal shot.
Earlier during the war, the Whitworth was responsible for another high-ranking death. On Sept 19, 1863, at the Battle of Chickamauga, an unnamed Confederate sharpshooter mortally wounded Union General William Lytle, who was leading a charge at the time.

[ducatiz]

A 580 grain bullet, propelled by 60 grains of black powder?  At 1,000 yards that must be mortarlike.

i missed something, where was the weight posted?  .58 caliber yes, 580 grain?  that's about 1.5 oz of lead, about 3x the size of a 45ACP.  not crazy huge -- about the size of a 12ga slug.

typical 50bmg weight is about 2200gr, right at about 5oz.

[RAT900]

if you go to the link I posted..... below the rifle listing there are 580 grain bullets for sale

[ducatiz]

if you go to the link I posted..... below the rifle listing there are 580 grain bullets for sale

i did, i didn't see those.  .451 cal and 580grains?  That's about a 1.5-2" long projectile.. lol..

[rgramjet]

I'm guessing the General looked up for a second and the bullet landed on him!  lol

[RAT900]

i did, i didn't see those.  .451 cal and 580grains?  That's about a 1.5-2" long projectile.. lol..

If I ever make the plunge into black powder that is the rifle I would go for...the Gibbs Rifle/Parker-Hale one is a few hundred more than the Dixie one and is rumored to be of better finish and quality

accurate weapons are interesting from any era

[ducatiz]

I have one black powder rifle and one pistol, I barely use both, but I enjoy them and given the cost of shooting it might be a good option since they slow you down a bit.. lol

The rifle is a Traditions Kentucky rifle in .50 cal and the pistol is one of the Navy repros done by Sampietro.  Both are in the back of the safe right now, languishing...

[triangleforge]

One of the locals here - and a neighbor of a close friend & hunting/shooting buddy - is a retired military marksman and active competitor in long range matches who regularly beats cartridge shooters with a muzzleloader. He's got a knack for engineering and developed a number of specialized tools and techniques for the process, including a nifty grip that fits over the end of a ramrod and can be set to click like a torque wrench when a designated pressure is achieved on the bullet. Just like a cartridge shooter who does precision handloading, he's got an amazing amount of control over every variable in the process.

Another Prescott AZ local - this time a historical one, with a larger than life bronze mounted statue on our court house square - met a similar end to Gen. Sedgwick, just few decades later. A key member of Teddy Roosevelt's officer corps in the Rough Riders and moments before the famous charge up Kettle Hill, Buckey O'Neill was exhorting his men not to take cover in the face of withering Mauser fire by Spanish troops. Standing up & smoking a cigarette, his last words to a sergeant who was urging him to take cover were "Sergeant, the Spanish bullet isn't made that will kill me!"