How far will a 58cal. mini go?

[Mark / MO]

I have found two on a site close together. I think I am in the over shoot area of a small documented battle. I would like to expand my search out but I am not sure how far.

Thanks, Mark

 

[bunn leonard]

I dont know how far but i would guess about 150 to 200 yards, now finding the origin, they were either dropped or fired, dropped bullets look like fired bullets if they havent hit anything,so i dont know how you hunt or what machine you use but i would start in iron till i started to get alot of hits and then start to find the good stuff with my explorer,but also remember there were alot of civilians with the same weapons.But you just never know good luck!

 

[Rifle87600]

I read in some book one time that they were man killers at 800 yards..I imagine when they were that far apart that they aimed their guns up in the air to get the right trajectory to do that..Don't quote me on this.. The older I get the ..well lets just say my memory isn't what it used to be..

 

[Va Dave]

Approximate Effective Range

Smooth Bore Musket - 100-150 yards
Rifled Musket - Round Ball - 300 yards
Enfield & other Rifled pieces using Minies - 500 yards
Whitworth Rifle - 800-1000 yards
Taken out of "Civil War Projectiles Two" by McKee & Mason,Jr.

As Rifle had stated, Soldiers were known to take "Pop Shots" at great distances, sometimes with Brutal success. Our local history was witness to this by seeing General Sedgwick fall to a Confederate Snipers Whitworth bullet, that the General stated himself, was to far away to be effective just before he was struck.

Good Luck,
Dave

 

[bunn leonard]

hey thats some cool info

 

[Bugar In. USA]

I'll bet that whitworth hurt almost as much shootin it as it did gettin hit, WOOOOHOOOOoo 1,000 yards

 

[Dean (Whitby Canada)]

A Benched model 1853 Enfield would punch through 2 1 inch boards at 1100 yards.... It was white pine they shoot through...and remember, many, if not most, US Civil War Soldiers were not tought how to shoot in their first battles....it seems they aimed far to high...so add so distance.

Dean
Whitby Ontario Canada

 

[Dean (Whitby Canada)]

The Whitworth Rifle was the first true telescopic rifle that was availibal (?) for armies...the scope was fitted to the left side...the history of the testing of this gun is something most would not believe....However a good "sharpshooter" could kill at half a mile consistanly..and at a mile from time to time.

I love the Whitworth...found a couple of fired bullets from these.....not all are six sided, I have studied these weapons for years, and have fired one original several times...no scope...but at 700 yards I was hitting a man size target..and this weapon was made in the late 1850s!!!!


Dean

 

[John in Florida]

If you were hitting a man sized target with any regularity than you must be one of the best marksmen in Canada.

How frequently did you hit it?