Posted on 08/04/2006 12:15:58 PM PDT by Brit_Guy
I never said, "flintlock", did I? Find a copy of Ned Roberts book, "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle", and enlighten yourself.
If you automatically connect "flintlock" with "muzzle loader", you have a lot to learn!
As I said in my post, niether the Revolutionary War or Civil War era weapons were capable of such shots. Max effective range for a Civil War muzzle loader with conical bullets was maybe 200 yards. Could a good marksman stretch this range? Yes, but not anywhere near 900 yards.
.50 cals make the lighter rifles obsolete in terms of projectile caracteristics., unless you need a light weapon on your crawl.
You can see a tango head shot here, courtesy .50 cal Barrett:
http://www.nbcnco.com/image002.jpg http://www.nbcnco.com/image002.jpg
TRAJECTORY TABLE, FEDERAL MATCH .308 CAL.168-Gr. BOATTAIL HOLLOWPOINT
Trajectory by Yards, Expressed in Inches
Zero Range 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
100 Yards Zero -4.5 -15.9 -35.5 -64.6 -105 -159 -228 -315 -421
So at 900 yards, -315 inches = -31 ft.
Seems to confirm the physics calcs.
Try doing it yourself.
http://www.shooterready.com/
It is not in the best of interest to zero a rifle at 100yrd for long range shooting. The table gives various zeros for comparison. I zero at 200 for easy shooting from 100-300yrd. This gives me a range of +1.5" @100 to -6.7" @300. Note that the First Zero would be at about 60 yrd. (You would have to understand that a rifle has 2 zeros.) Ballistic Tables are tools. One detail left out was that the table was set for 2600 fps for that BC.
Ya'll have a good weekend.
You better stop digging yourself into a hole. Swampsniper is correct. The Ned Robert's book is really enlightening and you should see if you can find it.
Some shooters preferred the muzzle loader for accuracy. This way the bullet had already contacted the rifling.
Also, do a google search on "They couldn't hit an elephant at this range....... Famous last words.
Must be one of Savage's soccer thugs.
Para ping!
Semper Fi
"147 grain BTMJ (boat tail full metal jacket) -56.1 foot drop at 500 yards. Source: Guns and Ammo online.
150 grain 2900 fps muz vel -37 ffoot drop at 500 yards"
It doesn't make sense that the heavier load drops less- also, if it drops 56 ft good luck with open sights - but I was never good at physics
The Whitworth rifle was indeed capable of lethal hits at 800 yards without all that much difficulty.
During the Civil War Union General Sedgewick was killed by a single shot fired from that rifle at a range of 1200 yards.
His last words were: " "Why, my man," he chuckled, "I am ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
Seconds later the good General was dead from a single wound to the head.
L
I was gonna let him dig a little deeper, LOL
Thanks! Exceptionally cool!
???...no big deal, I did the same thing when I was 12 with a half inch ball bearing and a slingshot.....nearly took my toe off
Doogle
The ballistic drop is functionally independent of weight, relates to velocity primarily.
Any of you guys ever see the 1971 movie "Valdez in Coming" starring Burt Lancaster? One of my favorites.
You're dead.
It's my understanding that the equivalent weight when dropped vertically will hit the ground at the same time as the projectile that is fired parallel to it, regardless of velocity- perhaps a pre-Einstein theory?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.