“AMERICAN
RIFLEMAN
MAY, 1931
The Muzzle-Loading Rifle
HERE is « growlng Interest in the rife
‘of by-gone days, So interwoven kas it
Been in the lives cf oxir people and the
Gesiny of our country, We glory in the Now
Tradition and early records by reliable au-
thorities have handed down to us accounts ted Zor"huling ded in the Wonuetece meustatns
gary Nunber, Bie,
By WALTER M, CLINE
(Photographs by the author)
‘nasi ee
Ged: of our border rifemen of "70, of the AP aAUaMR ARE Giees het OA
Kentucky and Tennessee backwoodsmen under Wie" 06,80. yal Mut
Anicew Jackson at New Orlane, snd. of mureioulue te he pak of Ter ouejonent
GCfocket and Mis compunions al the Alamo. Sanaa wad mur’ of Wa ce
they Have to ft very closely in the barrel,
‘having to be driven to the Dottom by blows
‘of the ramrod.” Robbins, in his tracts on
‘nmmery, maker mention of the Swiss using
‘he greased patch; but the ball still remuined
A very tight ft im the bore and had to be
forced into the grooves in loadins—the very
thing thet is not productive of accuracy with
a round ball. This dificulty of leading caused
the berrel of the rife of Centre) Europe to
sf some of the remarkable shots made in the shtsung mrtsies i wile the" bed tke nae be short
Gays of the muzieoading fintode fl,
“They seem like fairy tales to those who know
Fut the long rifle of the pioneer was an in-
Strumeat of precision and served its purpose well
What we know of the first riled arms has come
own to us irom a dim past, Captain Beaufey, one
cf the best carly writers on the fle, says that the
Knowledge of the grooved baxrel and the effect of
Spiral motion was known in Rusia and the more
forthem parts of Europe long before its use by the
‘more advanced rations of Central and Southem Ex»
ope, Te quite probable that the theory of spical
motion was known at a very early date. Arrow points
Feveled co as to produce a rolary motion have been
found in considerable numbers, showing that the abo.
rigines were familiar with this principle
With the discovery ané use of gunpowder as a pro-
pellant for che missile or ball from the first firearms,
Tegan the search for accuracy. Just when the lead
Tal was frst used is rot Enowi, but no doubt it
came into use with the handgun. Yet it was several
Trundred years before the effect of unpowdler on the
Teal bull was discovered, All eforts of the carly
‘makers and users of the first riled anms were to
force the ball into the grooves before the arm was
fred. Bullets of groove diameter vere used and were
forced down the boreel with on ion vamred and
mallet.
‘The greased wad and patch were used very early
and are mentioned by a Spanish writer. Alonso Mar-
tines d> Bspinar, in 1644, who says: “Tt is necessary
to have felt wad cut with 2 punch, which mus be
exactly filted to the mouth of the barrel. ‘This mus
he pitched with Greek pitch, wax, and tallow. All
this should be dissolved and the wads thrown into it,
and after they have abserked the pitch they must be
allowed to cool and then they remain very hard and
greey; these are very important far riled Arquebuses,
Teecause with them the balls go in more easily, for
little of the accuracy of these esrly rifles, fnr"inf” aricle—kowae.
Daddy Crest end hie
fateh hot ltiaa Me
“Old Sealey”
‘seal a
‘The discovery that a ball of Hore diameter
used vith greased patch could be leaded with:
out dificulty and better accuracy secured,
must have heen made before there was any
chonge in the design of the rifle, Te have attempted
o use the same method of loading the loag-barrel
fintlock rifle as that used in loading the ritle of Cen-
‘tral Europe would have renviered the formes useless.
‘Tho use of the greased patch, together with a tall
of bore diameter, allowed the guusiich to experiment
with different lengths of barrels. As the musket and
fowling piece of this period had long bartels, it fol
Towed that the rifle should have a leng barrel. Te
‘yas not the conditions in this country—Americe—that
cused this racical change in the rifle, but thst age~
fold quest far arcuraey. With the development of the
loug-barieled intlock fe by che pioneer gunsmiths
of Pennsylvania, and fts appearance at about the be:
inning of the great inflax of Germans and Scotch-
Trish into America, there wes availble an accurste
shooting vile that made possible the advance of
thee home-seeking people Yeyond the then essed
Frontiers.
‘The manufacture of the rile spread repidly as the
pionesr conquered the wilderness and the savaxe,
Fram Pennsyivania, fis birtaplace, down the valley of
Virwinia into the Carolinas, and on westward across
the mountains into Tennessee, thie rifle followed the
napidly-advancing frontier Tried ond tested i hun
‘dreds of desperate confics im the hands of the Amer
ican pioneer its use became almest universal. Tt was
not devised by any beard of ordnance, but was the
product of a race of practicel men developed over @
Period of many years and with the improvements
which were contributed hy each generation of skilled
‘yorkmen; snd it became @ weapen of wonilerful pre
cision at distances within its range
During the decade preceding the Givil War, and
the period of transition of the murslelonding to the
Tresch-losding ville, the muzele-loading rifle attained
7a
=
a
g
5MAY, 1931
fis highest develormert. Every town and
ity had one or more gunemiths, and rifle
raking spread the leagh and breadth of the
land. The shooting match became the great~
cst of all Amecican sporis. Her» the excel-
Tence of each riemaker was put to a test, ky
which bis reputation was made. In mary
paves where these matches were beld every
Saturday, for years, the writer has seen the
stumps of large trees which had been shot
down by having bad the targets placed against
them.
‘There were three types of the muse.
Ioading wile which were in use during the
Inte percussion period: the hunting rifle with
its different lengths of barrel, an all-purpose
rifl, in general use; the long, homy’,
nani i iRifing the burels, Inu
THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
Moulding bullets and burning boards black for tergeis
for a shank, ‘The square end, was then
Treated, twisted, ond sempored, This did the
‘eulting, This Dit would follow the hole in
the barrel left by the rod in welding. A
shore point Toft straight, not twisted at the
‘ext of the bit prevented the letter from
Wailing off, so that che barrel could be bored
from both ends, and the twe bored holes
rest on line in the middle
‘The long bit wis next weed. This waz made
by welding to the side of a sinall squared bar
of iron ¢ thin piece of steel. ‘This welding
vas done hy the sid of borax as a flix. to
make the eel stick to the soft pioze of fren.
This bit wes now welded to dhe end of @ rad
of sufficient lengch so that all cutting could
be done froin one end of the barrel. The
xcel portion -vas now tempered, and then
eiraigh-ened, The steel, bucked by the soft
iron, was Zid on the anvil and tapped with
f hommer, It required considerable sill in
Tempering to get just the ght degree of
hardness $0 that the steel would mot crack
ightening. The two edges of the steel
hich were to be the (vo cutting edges,
were grow sharp; ard on the back of the
har, opposite to the steel, was fastened a
ship of hickory wood, rounded to coniom,
fo the bore. This strip of hickocy prevented
ny iron eutings from scratching the Darel
tnt by placing small shims of paper between
the wood and the iron, as many cuts could
bbe mide as were necessary. All cutting with
the lng bit was made iam the breech to
the muzzie, the slight wearing away of de
‘wood as the bi: traveled through the barrel
fn saecessve cuttings giving a taper, or choke,
bore,
The Darrel was row straightened silk
thread was stretched throurh the bore, and
swe kept taut bya hickory bow. By Teok-
ing through the baxrel toward the Beht, the
crooked places could be detected by the
shadow thai the silk thread cast on the pol-
ished surface of the bore, This crooked
place vas matked on the outside of the
bare] by maisiening the fingers with saliva
and then touching the place opposite the
shatow, The barrel was then placed on the
anvil end tapped, wieh a hammer, This
was repeated, if necessary, until no shadow
showed in the bore, the work progressing:
from the middle owsrd the ends of the
Tiarrel, Meredith Wolf, one of the easly gun
smiths of Teanessee, told the writer that in
his fifty sears of experience he had seen only
‘one barrel that did not need straightening
‘The barrel was now ready for efing. The
rill machine consisted pfs cylinder of
‘wood, sometimes as much as 4 inches in
Giameter-—the larger the better, as this tended
to reduce lost motion when working Ubrough
small bore in the barrel. ‘This cylinder of
‘wood ed spiral grooves cut in the ouler
surface, te the number of sis, coven, cight
br whatever number 0} grooves dhe workman
decided to cut in 2 barrel, or the order called
for. ‘There were exira cylinders, each having
‘ certain number and pitch of grooves. One
gunsmith fad elght exits cylinders, each ane
dliffecent, end all interchangeable in a irame-
swark of wood An “index.” iastened in the
hhench, bad fingers fitting inte tho spical
groaves in the wooden cylinder, and revolved
the crlinder when the latter, held in its
frame, was pushed hack and forth along the
top of the bench, ‘This cylinder carried an
Iron Yo¢ at one end, and st the cher end
of this rod 2 piece of ickory wood was
fastened which ‘carried the culling tool, or
‘say, this pices of hickory being eylindt
in shape, and a close sliding it in the bore.
These sivs were made indifferent shap
seme having teeth inclined in only ene dir
tion, others with tooth inclined both way:
and catting with both movemenis of die rod
back and forth through the bore. Sail others
hed straight teeth, that scraped the metal
rather thin cut i, The finished resuk
wis cependent upon the shill of the work:
After the sow was set in the hickory
‘sing head,” the hier was passed throug’AV, 1931
the barrel, the first cut being avery heavy
‘ne. The saw vas worked back and forth
until it would aot cut any more. The cylin-
der vas then tumed so Ghat its next groove
fewmaged the fingers of the index, and the
next groove vias cut in the bareel: and so
fon until all groeves were cut to the sme
depth, ‘The sa was then ralsed and a thin
shim of paper plsced under it, and the above
‘Process repeated. So slight was the cut taken
at each operation tint for each groove the
Sty was passed rough the Dore as many as
forty times for each time it vas raised. With
a T-groove barrel. that would mean 280
strokes for cach time the saw was raked.
‘This was repeated from ten to Afteen times
for exch groove, depending upon the size of
the ball to be wsed, making 2,900 or mare
times the saw was passed through the barrel
to complete the job. A barrel riled by this
process needed no smoothing out with emery.
and 3 few shots would remove the wire edge
from the lands. No more perfect job can be
done today with the test machinery than the
arels rifled by the master gunsmiths of the
muvale-londing days
‘The outside of the barrel was shen fled,
ground, or left just as it was welded—some
‘customers preferred it that way—aiter which
it was broeched, stocked, sighted, and tected.
‘The gunsmith made bis own tools for the
‘work
That these old ritles were accurate beyond
the belief of present-day cifemen is borne
out by targets preserved by the writer from
the cldtime shooting-matches, and by the
perfomance of the rifes in the mountains
ff Tennessee on black ear, deer, wildcat, and
various species of emall game, The writer
has wed these rifles with regular loads, and
hnas also used them double-ckarged and
Gouble-patched. He has killed game as dead
‘st 100 yards as could have been done vith
@ high-power rife. The long-barrel Kea
tucky, with its balf-ounce soft-lead ball,
driven with a full charge of powder, was all
that could be desired, and « second shot was
seldom required. ‘The longest shot 1 ever
sew vas made by William Welker on a black
hese, with hie rife that he called “Death.”
‘The distance es measured was 290 yacds,
The bear was crossing a deep hollow on 2
Jog. and was hit in the leit fore shoulder and
so disabled that it waz exsly overtaken and
killed.
Very few shots were thruwa away by men
who used the muzle-loading rifle. Tt was
accurate, economical of ammunition, and
deally. “Recent mezsurenents of the veocty
of the muzzle-loading rifle have shown that
with a powder charge of only tworffths the
weight of the bullet, using FFF granulation
of powder, a velocity of over 1,700 feet per
second waS attained ‘This test was made by
a
the late Dr. Philip P. Quayle, of the Peters
Cartridge Co., with a rife made by BW.
Amuden, of Saratoga Springs, N,V. This se
has a 28-inch barrel and is in perfect condi
tion, By double-charging and double-patehing,
as was often done in hunting big game, the
velocity went over 2,600 fost per second.
‘A remark was made by one of my mous
tances friends recently, as 2 party of us sat
around the camp fire one night while en =
hunting tip in the Cumberland Mountains
‘hea the conversation turned to the old dass
‘when we all used muzzle-loading rifles This
rman, # true mountaineer, said that he “wished
there had never been any other gun made
except the muszle-ioiding rile, because i
that case we would alnays have had plenty
of game.”
The match ries difered from the Inunting
ritles im length of barrel, weipht, and caliber,
very few being less than 40 caliber. The
Dersel lengths ran from 48 inches to 6D
inches, with some few even longer The
bartels were made of the softest tron, and
were always welded. Very few of the best
makers of match rifles would put their names
fo the barrels unless chey had welded them
themselves. After the barrel was welded, it
was annealed and made as saft as possible
One very successful maker used a process
iat had been handed down in the family
for four generations. He would place the
Moulds and bullets for American torget riflesTHE AMERICAN RIPLEMAY
An old-time shocting-match, with mueste aud elbow
Dacre on a level plete of ground prepared
especially for it, then pile a long heap ot
dry chesinat wood over it, ond shen st fire
to the wood, and leave it until all the wood
Thad been cousumed and the Lasrel had
slowiy cooled. I have in my possession two
rifles that were annealed by this process, and
fos may slave them with a pocket lmife
nil net dull the blade—in fact, Ue sides 0
the ociagoas were shaved true with a dra
Knife made by the smith himself, These bsr-
rels would not shoot slice like a steel barrel.
ind were much in demand, There is n0
doubt that these heavy match sifes were
the most accurate roun-hall rifles ever made
Several weeks ago T received a post card
which read as follows’
‘ello Boys!
‘A Dig shooting match at the
Raven Rock neat Seturday, for
Two fat cheep. Come! Tell all
‘The boys and les have a big watch,
Yours ior luck,
Grimes Avert.”
Here, in one of the most picturesque spots
fn Ameries, is still held the elf.time. shoot
fing match, in which the loag, heavy, soft
metal-barreled match rifles are still used
Rifles that would delight the eve of “Deer-
layer"!
Raven Rock is @ high cliff where for years
the ravens had nested and reared their young,
until, with advancing civilization and the
building of highways into this meuntsin fast
ness, they Tad passed ou, no ove knows
where, leaving only thefe name in-memory
of the cays when the sir about the place
was black with these somber-winged birds,
‘The mountain tzeil which gained the summit
through a cleft in the rocks hus been replaced
Dy a fine highway to the summit of the Cum-
Derlands, and on vestward across the broad
plateau,
No mote wonderful pancrama is seen than
that viswed from che Raven Rock. Soat
ard stretches the Sequatchie Valley for
more than 70 miles, Midway of the valley
nuns the Alsin York Highvay, named for
Sergeant Vork, who had learned to handle
a ile in the Cumberlands long before tis
country called him oversess to became the
nation’s hero, He is ore of the mountain
mea whose deadly kill with the de was
acquired Ubrough daily use of the weapon in
the hills around his heme,
AS cut car topped the mouniain on the
way to the match, the shup reports of
rifles were heard, and the sir was pungent
with the smell of black powder. The big
maich was on. and we wete invited to take
art. One dollar was the entry fc,
test
‘There were to hold
Just his amount. Anether le is to uso a
ferlain number of meulds full of powder,
ising the moulé in which the ballet was cast
Large balls call for three moulds full; small
cones, four moulds ful, ete. a. charger being
rade in cach ease ¢o bokl the exact amount
ff powder,
‘The patching is usualy of driling, of a
certain thideness for esch individual fo
This is wet wih sslive, Inid un the muzde
of the rife, and the bullat seated with a
slater, the Inter heing so formed thal it
always seats the bull! sn pate to the same
depth in the bore, The edges of the paicl-
ing are then gathered together in the leit
hand and cat off close en the mvzale with a
Fanife. the edgo of which is beveled so <2 not
(@ injure the exd of the barrel, This makes
a circular patch with the bullet seated exactly
in the center: and the pach is always the
same size. A bullet Jonded off center of thew
THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
N. J. Whitmore rifle in case with accessories,
patch will shoot wild. ‘The rifles are not fired
pidly, but are allowed to cool between
shots, So that the temperature of the barrel
is as nearly the same for each shot as pos-
ble
Open sights only are used. The front
Sight is of the wide bade type, the rear sight
Uacle Rute Swofo
rifle *Comter”
and his
One of the f
hhoving < rectangular slot in which the front
sight is accurately centered, The top of the
front sight is sp held as to show an equal
strip of white at the top and at each sde
fof the bullseye, This sight was invented
by Bnoch Hardin about forty-five years
who told the writer that he had laid awal
at night trying to figure out how to. beat
f competitor that was getting the better of
hhim in the maiches, Both front and rear
sights are shaded by a piece of sheet icon
0 bent at to slip on over the barrel. This
rmukes the sights stand out clearly and also
iminates the problem of changing lights on
them. Wherever the location permits, the
targets are placed to the south of the shooter,
so that they vill be shaded, and all shooting
be done toward the light. There were many
noted marksmen at this match on Raven
Rock, There was Gilbert Angel, who. shot
a 24poud gua called the “Jake Keedy
Gun,” snd who cut center three times in
secession. There was Unels Ryril Freeman
who rode up from the valley, bringing hic
pet rile, “Old Beck,” which had s $3+inch
barrel, bearing the outside hammer ma
and ail, just as it had been welded by the
maker, but with the inside ae true a: could
be made, Uncle Byrd shot a fine match, all
shots being cut torether; but he cut the
croés only once. Then there were Rert Fann
and Rudolpa Holt, from Weldens Ri
beth fine shots Holt could never get 2
barrel long enouzh to suit him, so be welded
tsso barrels together, end to end, bored snd
.ed out this long barrel, and rifled its
and now he has s ine shooting rifle with
eC-inch barrel, The only trouble be says
he has with it ie that, as he is mear-sghted,
it takes him so long to sce the front sight
that it is always dark before be gets his
T have never seen a short.
shots. fired
st examples of the handmade tercet rife
Barrel rifts coin o match; snd while these
bbe just as accurate ss the Jung bacrels
have no place in one of these old-time
matches. All the shooting is done irom a
rest, either from a prone postion, resting the
muzile on a log and the elbows on the
ound, ot from a shooting bench, which
permits che shooter to be seated, and afords
tn elbow and muzzle rest
These were 25 contestants in that match,
and it vas almost dark before the shooting
Uncle Byrd, a fomons rife shot, and
Ihe rife “Old Beckaay, 1931
Equipment for target rife
was finished. Then came the measuring to
determine the winners. This is a very par
ticular job, and was especially 20 in this
match, &s the shoo:ing hae been very close
anda number of croses hid been cir
Dividers are used for measuring. Each man
that has a close shot furnishes a bal? bullet
Of the size his rifle uses, on the cut face of
which the center has been marked This
hai bulle: is peed in tho bullet hole in the
hoard, and the cross lines extended across
the bullet, Then the measurement is taken
from the center of the hulle: to the center
fof the cross lines. The bullet that has iis
Center resrest to the center of the cross wins
first place; and so on until the best 5 shots
Ihave been measured. Fortune favored the
‘writer io this fascance, his second shot cu
ting a dead 4-point center, winning fs
place, though kis fourth shot, only a little
more than an cghth of an inch of, did not
get anything. This will give some idea of
the fine accuracy of these old-time match
rifles, and the closeness of the contest
There was a sixth prize in this match,
which consisted of the lead cut oat of the
ee against which the tarre's had been
placed. And here io where « little supers
don enters in, for all firmly believe that the
fad shot in s match, if moulded into bullets
fod shot in another match, will never ain
Snything. This lead is
right to we in hunt
z.but never in another
ch! Daring match
erything is taken good
Saturedly, and no finer
bunch of sportsmen ev
ssthered together than
Sea who tale part in
ee old shooting
catches,
The American target
Mould, swage, false mussle
Bullot mould and poder charger
Title, 2s developed in the late percussion pe-
Hod had the greatest accursey and power
‘of any muzele-loading rifle, and it is doubt:
ful if its accuracy at medium ranges has ever
been surpassed. The earliest specimen in the
line of development of this vifle that hat
came to the notice of the writer is a fine
piece by Tryon, of Philedelphia. It is of
the late fiintlock peried, and must have heen
wade after 1811, as that was the year Tryon
ied his ile works in Philadelphia,
This rife bas s caststedl barrel $4 inches
in length, caliber 0, and hos nerrow grooves
which make a three-quarter turn in the length
of the barrel The end of the barrel &
turned round and fitted with a brass starter
of the piston type. That it weed the sharp-
luted ball is Indicated by he end of the
starter-rod, which is reamed out to fit a ball
of that type. The rifle has « fine rainproof
lock by Parker, stock of cutly maple, with
fa drop of 5 Inches. ‘The weight is 14 pounds.
This is quite a departure from the long,
hheavy-barrelad fintlock match rife, and i=
the only specimen knows to the writer.
An example of the rest step in the line
fof development ie a rile marked “Edward
Wesson, Northhoro, Mass," and dated 1826.
The number 225 is stamped on the barcel
The tarrel has 2 length of 37 inches, and is
marked “Cast Steel.” Tt has six grooves 015
for convenience in using
Note teat funnel is vinged to charger
starter, nipple wrench, sowder fask and screwdriver, etc
inch in depth, and the rifling makes a three
(quarter tum in the length of the barrel, ‘The
Jands are twice the width of the grooves) the
caliter is 44. ‘Ths rifle uses the sharp.
Dointed picket bell with slightly rounded base
Moulds, swage, and charger are 4 pact of the
equipment; and the charger bas a loading-
funnel attached. ‘The muzzle of this rile
also is turned and fitted with a brass starter,
the same as the Tryon rifle. Its weight is
16 pounds. So great was the improvement
Jn accuracy of this type of rifle and ball
‘hat « powerful incentive wee given the gun:
mekers to continue its development. Experi
‘ments were conducted with every conceivable
shape and design of ball, with different
pitches of rifling, varying widths and depthe
of grooving, diferent lengihs and welghts of
barrels, as well 2s powder charzes, to develop
greater seeuracy and range
The nest stzp in the improvement of the
rifle was the false muzzle, sald to have been
inveated by Calos Clark, of Windsor, Vi.. in
836, Thy earliest rie with thie attachment
nown to the writer is one by Frank Wesson,
of Hartford, Comn., and which bas the name
“Clark” stamped on the false muzzle The
invention must have spread rapidly, as this
rifle was made in 1837 and is numbered 433,
The false muzzle is made after the barrel is
hored and ready for rifing Four small holes
are dilled in the murcle
end of the barrel as
near the outside edge
as possible. A piece is
then cut of the barrel
of the same length as
the outside diameter of
the barrel, Four steel
ins are how fitted in
the holes in the piece
that was cut of, and
this piece is clamped toTHE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
Brockway rife, This rife uses the two-sinip paper patch, ond is adapted for the Bordan primor
hhe ‘barrel, the ping fitting in the holes in
the larrel which wore drilled before the piece
yas cut off, and which were drilled deep
‘nough to zo on through the length thet was
‘9 be cut off, and into the barrel preper.
The grooves ate now cut in beth barrel and
fae muzde, thus making the grooves in
he latter correspond exactly with these in
the barrel. The bore of the false muzzle is
sow beveled, or countersunk, to permit. the
‘oading of the bullet and patch by the aid
af the starter, so that the patch is not ext
and the bullet is securately centered in the
tore of the rife each time it is loaded, with
the axis of the bullet coinciding exactly
tth the axis of the bore. The false muzzle
is thon semoved before the rife is fred
The use of an elongated bullet—that is, a
tulle: in which the Tength is greater than the
siometer—had been tried many yesrs before
Lautman, writing in 172%, recommended the
Hiptical ball, and the Englishman Robbins in
1742 recommended a ball of this type. But
the dificalty of leading at that early date
prevented its use to any extent, and it was
goon discarded, I: remained for the ingo
ruity of the American gunsmiths to develop
a rifle and a method of loading it with this
type of bullet 0 as to attain the greatest
accuracy and range of any muzsle-louding
rifle, In this they reverted in a wav to the
methods employed in Central Europe, The
bullet was forced into the grooving in load
ing and this still holds true with all rifled
arms. The hulle! sonst be made
to take the grooves and be per~
fectly centered in the bore, ether
in loxding or upon being fired,
‘The so-called grin, or geining,
Luwit was next developed in the
target rifle. Chapman gives Ed-
ward Wesson the eredit for first
employing this aystem of fing
Jn 1835 the Fishers, of Virginia,
were advertising the gain twist
in rifles of their own make. Tt
is doubtial whether i can be
eillied co any one man, as
Imad been tried many years be-
fore. The object of the axin-
twist method of grooving vas 10
pemnlt the use of heavy charges
‘of power without the danger of
the bullet stripping, or being
siriven across the lands. J. W.
Suilman, writing in the Aifantic
‘Monthiy in 1859, says that the
‘American gunsmith his solved
the problem by adopting the gaining 6
in which the grooves start from the breech
neatly parallel to the axis of the bore, and
radually increase in rate of twist, until at
the mussle they have a much sharper pitch.
In this vay the rotation of the bull is
begun very gently, with less tendency for
the surface metal of the soft bullet to be
Stripped off in the grooves. The gaining
twist is the greatest improvement siace
‘grooving was successfully applied. To reject
iL is to reject something indispensable to the
best performance of the rif
‘The barrels of all these rides were “reel;
that is, in the final boring of the barrel a
slightly deeper cut was taken fram the breech
up to within 12 or 2 inches of the muzle
The idea was to reduce friction and permit of
easy loading, the plunger of the bullet starter
crrying the bullet through the tighter ruzzle
section, and on into the locser, “freed” por
ton of the barrel below.
I: was soon found that the shamp-pcinted
picket bullet with its stright nes was not
the best form, for if loaded slightly ff com
ter each revolution would throw the pint
into a wider circle, and the bullet would
Decome more erratic than s round ball
Therefore the point of the cone was gradu:
ally brought to more of a curve, and the
sc-cilled “sigarloai” bullet was the result.
‘Very fine accuracy was developed with this
new bullet, and Stillman records two targets
shot by rifles made by Morgan James, of
Utica, N.Y. The first tarmet was shot by
The method of using the Berdax primer, showing primer in place &
ready for tke cap to b0 screwed down
The machine rest was made for the rife
A rifle of 60-gauge, 25 shots being fred. the
average deviation being 174 inches; the sec:
ond was shot by a rifle of wO-gauge, the
average being 8/10 of an inch, both ‘at a
listance of 220 yards, Stillman alo sates
that in the northern part of the State of
New York the practice at shooting matches
was at turkeys at 100 rads (550 vards); and
that a good marksman was expected to hit
on turkey on an average of every tree shots
By 1860 a new bullet had been designed
that far supessed the sharp-pcinted suger-
losf bullet in sceuriey, and bad been uni
verselly adopted in various calibers and
lengths to sult ecch individual pitch of rifing
One of the most acearate bullets of this new
type as designed for a certain rifle measures
420 in diameter at the base, 200 at the
point, is 735 in length, and weighs 225
grains. The riflo that uscd this ball would
de considered a oO-gauge, 1s measured by
the round-ball method, as round balls of this
size would ran cixty to the pound. Another
Dullet is .sop in diameter at the base, .250
at the point, is 050 in length, and. weighs
oumce and 48 arsine,
By this time the length of barrels haul be
reduced to almost a standard, althoush opin-
jons were various on this aubject. Experi
ments Ind developed the fact that a barrel
of 26 inches was the best for the strone-
est shooting, and fer the best
one of 34 inches, while for a combination
of both, a barrel of 30 inches was consid-
red the best length
Telescope sights were ia we,
and extended the full length of
the barrel; and many of them
terchangeable with the
peep and covered bead front
sighs. A telescope sigit brought
ft by Daniel Wand, af Roches.
tes, N. Yu. in 1861, especially
designed for the American starp-
shooter, had 2 range-fnding and
flevation device consisting of
tight horizontal cross hairs paral
Felt each other and at certain
definite distances apart. These
ross hairs were intended to in
dicate the fall of the ball for
diferent ranges, and were so
spiced as to excily correspond
with it When used
finding device, the
object as measured between the
ss hairs indicated the rence
The telescope was also wed incorrecting shots on the target. Tf the first
shot was lox, the rile wat held immovable
with the cross hairs on the center of the
bul’seve. The elevating screw was. then
tumed up until the cross hairs ceatered the
hulle: hole Tn this way the correct eleva.
tion was secured; and if the calculation nd
been correct the next shot should strike the
bul’seye. If the distance were so great that
the bullet hole could not be seen, something
easily seen was pheed over the bullet hoe.
and the adjustments made. Try
time when sighting in a rifle, and see how
much ammunition you will save
‘The following data will give come ides as
to how accurately range and wind variation
Inad to be judged to make goovl scores when
using these rifles. A test was made of a
certain rifle, the barrel of which weighed 8
pounds and was 29 inches in length. A
conical ball was used weighing 65 to the
pound, with « charge of 2)2 inches of
Huzard’s No. 1F powder, At 110 yards the
drop of the bullet was 3 inches; at 220 vari,
30 inches; and at 430 yards, 18 feet All
this will very, of course, with diferent wifes,
charges of powder, weights of tulet, etc.
Back in those days flags were used on the
range, sel every 40 yards between fring point
and target. These were made of red cotton
doth about 6 feet long, and of cylindrical
shape, 3 or 4 inches in diameter. They were
opt spread by the use of wire rings sowed
inside. ‘These logs tapered slighily, and hud
fa slit in one side in which a weight could
he placed in case of a heavy wind. They
were fastened t0 the edge of a strip of tin,
3 x 10 inches, on one end of which were
brazed lugs to slip over a rod fastened to
the top of + pole. The strip of tin acted
like @ weather yane and was free to turn
ln any direcilen. The idea was ly the cid
of these days io select an average wind
velocity, and fire when the dags
showed an even wind over the ex
tire range,
That the old-time riflemen could
dope wind is evidenced by that
famous match in 1886 between
Warmer and Perry, at Warrea,
‘Ohio, The match was a. 50-shot
aifuie for $500 a side; dictance,
220 yards. Though it was a very
These illustrations chow the Brockway
‘roo-part false macsle, and the manner in
hich the two-siriy poper-patched. bullet
i londed. The lower picture shows the
‘bulletin place ready t0 te seated by the
‘starter
windy day, Warner won the match
his 50 shots in a group measuring 42 inches;
and Perry's group was just over sO inches,
‘There was always great rivalry between
Warner and Perry, Warner always dlsiming
that Perry copied him. Thoro aro other sim-
kr achievements recorded for both. IL is
recorded by Barber that at a meeting of a
rifle club in Ohio just before the beginning
of the Civil War, 30 men put 10 shots each
Inside of a 10-lnch ciccle at $00 yards, Tt is
also recorded that st a distance of three
quarters of a mile a number of shots have
‘been phecd in a flour barrel, without 2 miss.
With the breaking out of the Civil War
many sharpshooting regiments and companies
were orgenized in the Federal Army. These
‘were composed of picked men from various
States—men of known ability as marksmen,
Tn Berdan’s two regiments of sharpshocters
rng one was permitted to join who could not
place 10 shots in a target, measuring 50
inches or under, at a distance of 200 yards—
fan average of § inches to the shot I: ie
recorded that one of these men, by the namic
of Townsend, fred a S-shot group at 200
yards that measured 3% inches. Two com-
panies of this rosiment fumished their own
rifles, which were the heavy target rifles with
fale muzzles, and telescope and peep sights.
wal bow
Complete composite Bullets, and component parts, for
‘Brockway rife
9
‘Then there were the Andrew Sharpshooters
from Massachusetts company of picked
men named for Govemor Andrew of that
State, Each man provided his own rifle. A
description of these rifles published in a bis
tory entitled, “Massachusetts in the War,”
says that they were very heavy, and were
considered to be the most efficient rifles
Knowa, They weighed from 20 to 70 paunds,
and were necessuily fired from a rest. They
‘were made by various gunsmiths in diferent
parts of the coustry to suit each individual
‘They were muzle-lnading, shooting * conical
ball with a patch, and propelled by. hen
charge of powder, An expert in their use
could load, aim, and fre about once in 2
‘minutes Tt is also recorded that at York
‘town mary of the Confederate batteries were
silenced by the sharpshooters using these
heavy rifles. One incident is relted in which
some of the Federals, working in the
trenches, were annoyed by 2 Coniederate
sharpshooter wo had posied himself in a
tree 800 yards distant, from which point he
could mate their position an uncomfortable
fone, while i was impossible for them at that
distance to distinguish him with the naked
eye among the branches of the tree Two
fof Andrew's sharpshooter were pat in the
trench, a telescope sight held on the man in
the tree, and the first shot brought kim down.
Tn the Wester Federal Army, General Fre-
mont orgenized 9 rosiment of picked men se
lected from many different States, and known
as “Binge’s Westem Sharpshooters.” They
‘wore fit armed with the American target rifle
‘obtained from the sporting-goods stores of Se.
Louis, These niles varied in caliber, and
‘each man carried a mould to fit his rlle
Reports of the offcers of both the Con
federote and Federal armies contain the in-
formation that the fire of the sharpshooters
was very accurate. After the war
these muzele-loading target niles
vere still preferred for fine target
work to the breech-loading fe
that was fas coming into use
One of the last developments
vyas the twosstrip paper patch and
(Text continued on page 47, iis
trations ow page 20)20 THE AMERICAN BIPLEMAN
1
2 3)
iia
sla 1
9) 9f 8 consecubive shots shown above wer
Leth of January 1990 u:
ightly cloudy witi
Temperature about 60° F, Tine 4
Upper: Result of Dr. Quayle’s test, Lower: Targets shot in ectual matches. The groups as shows aro about actual sizeAY, 1031
THE MUZZLE-LOADING RIFLE
(Continued from poge 19)
the adaptation of the Rerdan primer to. be
used with the muzale-leading rile. The false
muzae was altered to hundle the composite
bullet with the two-strip paper patch. This
composite or combination ballet os male
in two parts, The point was of an alloy, and
much harder than the base. These two parts
were swaged together so as not to twist apart
when fired, The bullet was lengthened, 2e-
cing heavier charges of powder; the recoil
vas heaxy, and machine ress were devised
for use in firing the rifles in target work. A
cross hesd wae sitached under the barvel
ear the muuzle, having a V-notch into which
fitted a piece of metal atiached to the sboot-
ing bench. ‘The rear portion of the rest per~
nitted the sliding of the rifle in recoil, and
Trad fine serew adjustments for both windage
ind elevation, To ire, the rifeman seated
imself to the leit of the rfl, with his right
hand against the but and the first finger
cof the left bard on the trigger. When the
rifle was fired the right hand took the recoil
as the gan came back on the bench. The
rifle was then loaded again, and retursed 10
the original position.
After the Berdan primer came out, some
of these rifles, to keep pace with the new
development, were adapted to use it. Tr
stead of the regulr the, or nipple, there
was used a small tube of steel, the upper
end being formed the same as the head of
a brass cartridge chell, and receiving the
primer. A cp was made, with « plunger, :0
screw down on the cylindrical portion. The
hammer, striking the planger. fired the
primer, which communicated with the charge
in the barrel through a small hole. This
arrangement prevented any escape of the
powder gases
‘The false murale for loading the two-strip
pitch was formed in the sime way 2s the
false muzzle already in use, except that the
center was bored out to 2 depth of thees-
quarters of the length of the bullet, and
about three-quarters of an inch in diameter,
this latter size depending upon the caliber
fof the bullet, The above dimensions are for
4 ball of 50 caliber and a length of 152
inches, In this hole in the false muzzle
another muzzle was placed that protruded an
eighth of an inch beyond the original false
muizk The bore at the outer end of this
extra false muzzle was fled square, gradually
tapering down to the other end ‘Two chan-
rnele were cut across the cuter end of this
piece, at right angles to each other, and to
aa depth that brought their bottoms dush with
the end of the original outer false muzzle
‘Goo illustrations top of page 19). Two pieces
fof bond paper, slighty oiled, were laid across
each other in these two channels, and the
Dllet pressed into the square opening of the
inner false muzzle, the channels guiding the
paper strips, which made a periect fold
around the bullet. The starter was then
tused as usual to cent the bullet and center
it ia the bore,
A rife of the above type is in che posses.
sion of the writer. and was made by Brock-
way, of Bellows Falls, Vi. It weighs 20
pounds, has a 30-inch ‘barrel, including the
false muzzle, which is constructed to use the
twossrip paper patch; a full equipment of
accessories; swages for (wo diferent sizes of
ballets; moulds for the points and base of
the composite bullet, and also for the solid
Dall, and a charger that indicates the amount
fof powder for the charge, which is + inches
in the bore of the rifle.” One swage forms
a bullet that measures .520 st the base, 243
at the point, is 1/4 inches ia length, and
weighs 700 grains. The other swage forms
1 bullet that measures 515 at the base, 240
ft the point, is 19/16 inches in length, and
weighs 680 grains. There are eight marrow
Jands in the riding, which make 13; turns
in the length of the barrel, ‘The rifle is in
perfect condition, and is a accurate as the
day it was made. Tgnition is by use of the
Berdan primer. This rifle is equipped with a
fulllength telescope sight. A machine rest
is also part of the equipment
To those that are not fanilior with the
capabilities of these old rites, the results of
the following test of one may be of interest
Recently, at the invitation of the late De.
Philip P. Quajle, of the Peters Cartridge Co.
the writer made a trip to Kings Mills, Ohio,
where the Peters plant is located, taking with
hhim one of the finest target rifles in his col
Tectioa, as Dr. Quayle had expressed a desire
to measure the velocity of one of these old
arms, The rifle tesed was one of the finest
if not the finest specimen in existence, and
was male by N. J. Whitmore, of Pottsdam,
N.Y. It is in splendid, new condition, in-
side and out. Length of barrel, 31% inches
cover all, including false muzzle and patest
Dreech. The grooves are cut on a gaining
toist, beginning with one tun in 6 feet and
fending with one turn in 3 fest 4 inches;
Dore diameter, 452; depth of grooves, .008;
wwidih of grooves, 108; width of lands, 00;
weight of rifle, 16% pounds The bullets
are of the flat-pointed picket type, with
tly rounded base, measuring 0 at the
(0 in length, and weighing 225 grains
base,
These ballets were formed of pure lead. ham-
mered and then swaged,
re carefully weighed and only those used
Which were with Q5 of a grain of the
andard weight. Experiments were conducted
in the laborstory with varioue powder charges,
in which the velocity was carefully measuted
and a charge of 64.7 grains of King’s Seni-
after which they
Smokeless, FFG granulation, was slected,
giving a mean muzdle velocity of 1.638 fect
per second. This rifle tas a full-length
telescope sight of about 12-power, edjustable
for ebvation by a finely cut setew, and a
single act trigger. The starter will Bt on the
muzzle in only one position, insuring that
‘each bullet will be centered exactly the same
in the bore as every other one. Much de-
ends upen the proper powder charge; and
the method used in the laboratory for pre-
determining this, together with the accuracy
of the Forecast of its behavior before the
Fille had fired a shot, seem incredible
‘The rile was taken to the range in its case,
and there assembled. ‘The bore was carefully
a
Wiped out, and one of the weighed charges
‘of powder was poured into the muzzle, using
‘8 small wooden funnel that is part of the
‘equipment. A felt wad 3/16 of an inch in
Ulickness was seated on the powder. The
bullet was then centered in 2 circular patch
vwot with saliva, placed ina depression in the
muzzle provided for this purpose, the bullet
Suter set in place, and ie bullet forced
into the bore. the bullet being seated down
fon the powder with a flatended ramrod.
This datnded ramrod is used so that there
Will Le no change in the axis of the bullet
as fixed by the false muzzle and the starter.
‘Tre fale muzale wat then removed Two
shots were fied to warm Ghe gun and settle
he telescope in the mounts, after which 3
shots were fired for group, the bore being
carefully cleaned after eich shot; distance,
186 yards, This group measured: Exireme
horizontal, 136 inches: extreme vertical, 7
of an inch; mean radius, 7/16 of an inck.
Every shot would have touched a S-cent
pices.
Tk is mest probable tat these muzzle
loacing target rifles. equipped with telescop=
Sight, set triggers, fale muzcles, and ballet
starters, were the most accurate rifles. ever
mace. "Very few of the riflemen that were
familiar with this type of rife are living
today, but three old photographs fram
camera of forty-five years ago have pre-
served the pictures of some of the famous
old riflemen who upkeld the supremacy of
the muzale-losding largt rifle to the wory
last,
GAME AND GUNS OF 1871
(Continued from page 30)
to shoot. We haé millions of prairie grouse
not erough remain o make it worth while
to buat them, We had qui all the way
from New Jersey fo the Pacific, but not over
‘one bird int the thousand is leit today. We
hhad s0 many waterfow! that a man's only
work was to Keep up his supply of ammuni-
fon and to procure a gun which would shoot
fast enough. Automobiles are scouring
America todiy to find the remaining ducks
We hed millions of passenger pigeons, and
foc a single one is left
If aman could bitch yp a mule team today
and drive across the virgin praitie, potting
up e thousand grouse in a day and ten thou
sand ducks, he'd imagine that he must have
suddenly died and gone to the heaven of the
White hunter and the red. At that, man
being what he is, and as unchanging as the
laws of the Medes and Persians,” he'd very
quickly ruin whatever heaven they might
place him in; hence the wail of the old:
timer for a’ day that is gone, for guns that
are gone, for game that is gone. Shooters
are too many, guns are too good, game is too
scarce, and the mischief is about done. How
many would have liked to sit in a blind with
Jor Long, and, slowly loading a muzzleloader,
each Kill his’ 75 ducks in an hour, rather
‘than now sit ia the same bling, with bis live
Alecoys around him, his automatic across. his
‘knees, and never see a single hird in a whole
day? Some of us have either lived too lateANNIVERSARY NUMBER
1871— MAY, 1931 a
“Backward, Turn Backward, O Time, in Your Flight”