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Please note that Research Press web site is being rebuilt. The following link will take you to the new collection of articles on 19th Century Ammunition.

There’s some general historical...

There’s a variety of rifle-muskets to choose from and some good advice above on purchasing an original arm. If you can, get to at least hold as many types as you can and check for ‘fit’ by trying in...

I wasn't sure if you'd been talking about specific patched round ball rifles, or shooting PRB in rifles designed for Minie... hence my observation. I've never fired PRB from my Enfields, and don't...

Rifles with slow twist (eg. 1 in 78 P.53 Enfield) can shoot Minie bullets well. You also refer to shooting round ball well with slow twist guns but not Minie “in those same guns.” Rifling pitch is...

The Confederate Whitworths typically had a 33” barrel, and were essentially a budget version of Whitworth military match rifles.

The polygonal rifling is a distraction and was superseded in the...

Muzzle loading military rifles are a joy to shoot. if you’re new to the discipline, then the article on Managing the Enfield on my web site may be of interest.

Here in the UK we shoot the Enfield...

Don't know why I missed the proof stamping in your orignal post - and yes, it does look like code for 1970. Very strange though as that is two years before the rifles were on the market. Your serial...

The 1861 Artillery Carbine was introduced in 1972. Based on the serial number I’d estimate 1978 for yours. If you ever remove barrel from stock, look up the tiny code after the proof load...

If interests ever extend to Long Range Muzzle Loading, I have lots of information on the subject, also British military long arms. There’s also an extensive library of free to download articles and a...

This was also used in the Crimean War in the 1850s.

David

Here in the UK we shoot muzzle loading rifles out to 1200 yards. These would typically be the mid-late 19thC match rifles such as Gibbs-Metford and Rigbys (a popular modern repro for this discipline...

Long range riflemen in the 19thC used weighed charges with their muzzle loaders, and it is still common practice today amongst those who enjoy long range muzzle loading. In 1864 Horatio Ross, the...

Research Press Journal – Issue 6, Spring 2019. Free download pdf magazine (44 pages)

Articles include a special feature on the history of the Queen's Prize, illustrated with prize badges of the...

For those with an interest in long range target shooting, the small-bore shooting article in the new edition of my free web site Journal gives some insight into the discipline in 19thC Great Britain....

We’re only talking 3/32” (or approx .1”) between my bullets and the those in the catalogue. Mine were measured over the paper patch too, so there’s the paper thickness over the base included as well....

Well, 8 80-100 in. I interpret as 8 80/100 inch or 8 4/5 inch. I'd assumed the fractions of an inch had all been expressed as 100th to enable easier direct comparison, avoiding some mental...

Research Press Journal – Issue 4, Autumn 2018. (40 pages) Free pdf download.

New edition of my free to download Journal includes a contemporary look at European military rifles of 1886 and a...

Bruce, thanks for the heads-up on this one. I have now added to my Research Press web site, and also added some biographic data on Hinman... along with a bit of a puzzle on his score! :)

See:...

Nearest to a converstion with Halford that I can offer is An Illustrated Interview with Sir Henry Halford. This is a reprint of a feature from 1893.

David

Charles Hinman (b.1849 Vermont) was living in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1882. By occupation he was a Chemist. He was a member of the US National Guard team vs British Rifle Volunteers in both the...

In the new edition of my Research Press Journal I have an article on loading ammunition in the 19th Century. This draws from published letters and news reports in the UK. Full contents are:
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The new edition of my web site Journal has been published. It includes a report, pictures and results from the recent Oak Ridge match. Of interest to long range shooters is the rifle, bullet and load...

A couple of people I know made moulds for similar bullets a few years back and had/have great results from it in Whitworth rifles.

David

Thanks for the feedback. There's 10 articles in all, plus a magazine, all for free download. Browse the folders for details: Research Press Publishing

David

New free download article via my web site.

The English snaphance is not only one of the most innovative "flint-locks" but is probably one of the rarest gun mechanisms to have survived. Recent...