Quote:
Originally Posted by tabs
The 44/100 was the original Sharps LR cartridge.
The Irish team was using Rigby LR percussion rifles in .451 at the 74 Creedmore match.
I sold my Rigby LR to a Dutchman who shoots in LR matches in Europe using original rifles. He was going to shoot it at Wimbledon.
I have the Borchardt LR..
|
We had a dedicated group of Oregonians, and a few Canadiens, who shot Rigby and Whitworth muzzle loaders in our matches. Their huge disadvantage was in their need to break position to reload.
The 44-100 was a bottle necked case. Anyone who has ever played with bottle necked black powder cartridges will tell you what a PIA they are. I had a '74 Sharps in 44-77 for awhile, just because it was the ubiquitous early chambering. Couldn't get rid of it fast enough. They generate a lot of fouling right in the throat and the cases stretch, and sometimes separate, at a very discouraging rate. Might be o.k. as a hunting rifle that doesn't get shot much, but completely unsuitable as a match rifle. Sharps found that out as well and soon went to straight cases.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rapewta
Anyone that has a long distance rifle knows that it is pretty tough going downrange past 300 yards.
We have a 1000 yard range here and my limit with a 7mm Rem Mag is 300 yrds.
Plus, it is a long way walking out to pull your target and walk back.
|
The only way to do it is to have someone in the target butts marking the targets, with a radio. I don't care what one has for a spotting scope, even .45 caliber holes are impossible to see at much more than 300 yards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rapewta
A 1000 yrds is crazy. I know that military snipers don't have much of a problem but I couldn't even think of going out past 300.
|
Military snipers have the same problems the rest of us have when shooting at those kinds of ranges. I've competed against enough of them (and quite frankly have never been beaten by one) to know that while they are very good, and exceptionally well trained, there is no special magic to what they do.
We do hear of hits at exceptionally long ranges from these guys. What we don't hear is that they were on station for some time, putting rounds down range, working with a spotter, and sorting out range, wind, and atmospheric conditions. These factors have such a great affect at long range that I don't care what one is shooting - scope or sight settings that were dead on at 1,000 yards this morning, can be so far off as to miss a house, much less a man, after lunch.
We work with a spotter to make constant adjustments as conditions change. Hell, I've moved sights up to 40 MOA
from shot to shot in the same string as blustery winds shift back and forth. The often shown Hollywood sniper shot at extended range, where the guy shows up and makes one shot and connects, is pure Hollywood rubbish. It just doesn't work that way.