I was wondering if the reason thefast firing guns are getting the vote , if a mind set from a later time, where one looks at volume of fire, like a ww2 firearm? Remember the whole of the war was fought with some sort of muzzle loader. Look up the pics of the firearms on line, and look at the sighting sysytem that each firearm had, thats where I look for accerecy, but as want a be reb, I still voted for the richmond copy of the 1855 , and the 1842 69 cal.
Poll, best Civil War firearms/ rifles
- Thread starter TGC
- Start date
I think that in repelling a charge, the repeater at under 100 yards would be a best choice. The value of the single shots would be for long range sniping but I also suspect that would only be a few designated individuals. The reason that most soldiers were armed with single shot springfields or similar was cost and semi aimed rapid fire
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
I rtemember reading two acounts of repeaters being used to stop Reb attacks, I believe both where in the western area of operations, one was the Henry and the other the Colt revoling rifle. one does not hear much of the Spencer, as I believe it was more common in its carbine form/use
the weakness of the Henry was the magazine; if it got dented badly you could not load the magazine; the whole spring and follower were removed at the muzzle, shells put in and the follower and spring put back
cheers mooncoon
My understanding of the Henry mechanism is that it while it had the tube mag, the top part was open as this is how empty cartridges were ejected.
Presumably even if the magazine was out of action one could still single load a Henry and achieve a rate of fire that would be vastly superior to any muzzleloader out there.
Presumably even if the magazine was out of action one could still single load a Henry and achieve a rate of fire that would be vastly superior to any muzzleloader out there.
The Henry from what I understand was always a private purchase, but one Union regiment was armed with them. So who supplied the ammo for it? the government or the private soldier? It all depends on were one gets the reference and from what book.
I don't think it would be vastly superior in terms of speed of loading. A springfield or enfield can be loaded fairly quickly when loaded from the paper cartridges.
cheers mooncoon
But after 5/ 6 rounds, the barrel fouls and it gets harder to load and accuracy starts to drop off, with a rifled muzzle loader. So you have to score out the bareel, so i am thingking with the rapid fire guns of the day, Henry Spencer, Colt, would the accerecy drop off even faster?
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So if accuracy would drop off after many loadings and firings and the barrel would need to be scored or cleaned out, would the same apply to the lever actions? Or would they jam up due to powder residue? thus making them in effective shooters. With a muzzle loader you clean/brush or swab out the barrel, with a lever action, it would be harder if possible during a combat situation to clean its internal mechanism. i seem to recall reading an account of the British fighting the Zulu's, and their breach loaders jamming because of the black powder residue.
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MauserMike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
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Springfield
& a Remington 1858 on the belt
& a Remington 1858 on the belt
Well let me help, 577, 58 not much difference in the performqnce, sighting systems are different, enfiled had the better one, over the course of the war, the lands and groves went down to two lands and groves from 4 to 5 lands and groves,
the rapid fire rifles had the fast volume of fire, but not the range, and as black powder is dirty, guns would jam
richmond rifle just a copy of the spring field, and with not that great sights, the 1855, was a spring filed but with a paper cap box on the side, but had a great sighting system
the 60 cal,rifled musket, juts abigger bullet is all and had a good sighting system
with all the muzzle loaders the barrel would get dirty and loading became harder and accercy droped off
the rapid fire rifles had the fast volume of fire, but not the range, and as black powder is dirty, guns would jam
richmond rifle just a copy of the spring field, and with not that great sights, the 1855, was a spring filed but with a paper cap box on the side, but had a great sighting system
the 60 cal,rifled musket, juts abigger bullet is all and had a good sighting system
with all the muzzle loaders the barrel would get dirty and loading became harder and accercy droped off
