antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
id skip the military heritage gun and get a rifle shoppe kit why waste time
Effective range and accuracy of the Baker Rifle
- Thread starter Brewster20
- Start date
id skip the military heritage gun and get a rifle shoppe kit why waste time
delta1
CGN frequent flyer
That shot was done at Adobe Wells and not from a horse. The shot has since been redone and proven that it could be done. Look what is done with the Sharps rifles now. Look up the Wasserberger mile shoot I think it is shot at a buffalo sized target. The Sharps rifles are very accurate.
Just because bullets can travel that far dose not mean you can hit things your aiming at. As far as Billy is concerned, it could have been 600 yards, or 1200 yards, or 1538 yards. If in fact he actually did hit his intended target, I would hazard to guess it was 99 & 1/2 % luck! Sorta like "Ivory" soap! If you live long enough, sooner or later we all make one ridiculously crazy shot. That's not reality, that's just luck mixed with a lot of experience. It's been my experience that shooting Sharps rifles at even just a piddling 1000 yards; it's all you can do to hold the board for 10 shots. A score in the the mid to high forties is not bad at all and could quite possibly win you a match. So there! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
delta1
CGN frequent flyer
It seems you have not read much or been around the folks that shoot the old and the modern BPCRs much . A great many can hold their own against scoped rifle shooters. Do some research it may just change your mind.
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
Billy himself was quoted on the shot later, stating that it was pure luck.
I dare you to stand in front of the 1200 yard match target while any decent shot with one of those old-fangled muzzle-loading rifles takes a few shots at you. The Rigbys, the Gibbs, the Metfords, the various Kerrrs, Creedmores and Whitworth rifles will make you change your mind in a hurry, of that I'm certain. Head-butting a 500gr elongated bullet at around 700 fps is going to leave a dent, I promise.
tac
I watched the link on the Wasserberger mile shoot. 1 Mile shooting match for black powder cartridge rifles at the Wasserburger ranch north of Lusk, Wy. August 3 & 4, 2013. The target is a 48" diameter bullseye with an 8' x 15' outer backstop. Scoring: 3pts for an "outer", 5pts for a "bullseye". 20 rounds total. The winner shot a 23 & a 22 for a total of 45. If you figure on the most consistent hit basis it works out to between 5 & 7 hits out of 20 shots. Very impressive indeed! The target used at Ottawa @ The Nationals for BPCR 1000 yard competitions is a 6' x 6' board with a 1 minute ring V Bull & a 2 minute ring Bull; total black aiming point is 44" in diameter. Usually matches are 3 sighters and 10 for score. As far as I know, no one has shot a possible.....(10 V Bulls) .....Yet! Now; back to shooting people at 200 meters with your smooth bore flinter; you'd think the poor guy would have been killed by lightning before that!
The Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk.3 can hit targets at long range.
We used to sit on the cliffs overlooking the sea and shoot at logs in the water. A miss would result in the usual column of water and a hit would cause the log to depress into the water then bounce up.
The range was determined by the setting on the sights when the log was hit and 1200 to 1500 yards was a common long range setting.
The main difficulty in long range shooting is knowing where your bullets are going. The long range black powder cartridge shooters have spotters to help them.
The Swiss considered their GP-11 lethal to 4,000 meters, double the distance of the rifle sights on the K-31.
The baker may have sighted for 200 yards, but it will kill at considerably longer range.
We used to sit on the cliffs overlooking the sea and shoot at logs in the water. A miss would result in the usual column of water and a hit would cause the log to depress into the water then bounce up.
The range was determined by the setting on the sights when the log was hit and 1200 to 1500 yards was a common long range setting.
The main difficulty in long range shooting is knowing where your bullets are going. The long range black powder cartridge shooters have spotters to help them.
The Swiss considered their GP-11 lethal to 4,000 meters, double the distance of the rifle sights on the K-31.
The baker may have sighted for 200 yards, but it will kill at considerably longer range.
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Hey now; a lead bullet, or ball, going 300 + feet/per second would probably ruin your "hole" day if you were to collide with one. No doubt about it! As far as the Enfields go, ya, you could hit things at those ranges. I absolutely agree. Even with the battle sights. But; going back to the original post: 200 yards with a smooth bore is really pushing it. In the stand up wars with muskets @ 100 yards, advancing 10 feet for the next round; it didn't take long before you needed your bayonet! Volley fire was the name of the game in those days. Rifled barrels & Mine balls changed the tactics of warfare; without a doubt! But I still insist, that riding a horse bareback & backwards , at full gallop, while trying to shoot over your shoulder, looking through a mirror at 1538 yards is not easy to do! One must practice............a lot!
