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by The Annoyed Man
Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:15 pm
Forum: Rifles & Shotguns
Topic: Effective Range of a .54 Cal Muzzleloader with Round Balls?
Replies: 19
Views: 44469

Re: Effective Range of a .54 Cal Muzzleloader with Round Balls?

Crash wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 7:52 pm
The Annoyed Man wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:54 pm Round balls? Why not just use Minié balls? Civil War confederate guerrilla sniper Jack Hinson made hits on union soldiers up to 1000 yards out, using a muzzle loading rifle custom built for that kind of shooting, loaded with Minié balls. Admittedly, he typically fired down onto troop transports from high up on bluffs lining the river, which would have had the effect of reducing his bullet drop over the range; but those would be hard shots even with a modern centerfire today. It seems to me that shooting that kind of bullet would at least increase your hit probability, and maybe even extend your range a little bit.

The Annoyed Man,

You're right, of course, but I just like the idea of shooting a patched round ball.

Crash
Fair enough. I wondered if it was an enthusiast thing or not when I was typing the above. I guess if you’re trying to be as original as possible, round ball would be called for. It occurs to me that back in the 18th to mid 19th century, an awful lot of hunting with a muzzle loader was probably done in thick woods where the shooting distances would have been short enough that it might not have mattered much for hunting purposes.
by The Annoyed Man
Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:54 pm
Forum: Rifles & Shotguns
Topic: Effective Range of a .54 Cal Muzzleloader with Round Balls?
Replies: 19
Views: 44469

Re: Effective Range of a .54 Cal Muzzleloader with Round Balls?

Round balls? Why not just use Minié balls? Civil War confederate guerrilla sniper Jack Hinson made hits on union soldiers up to 1000 yards out, using a muzzle loading rifle custom built for that kind of shooting, loaded with Minié balls. Admittedly, he typically fired down onto troop transports from high up on bluffs lining the river, which would have had the effect of reducing his bullet drop over the range; but those would be hard shots even with a modern centerfire today. It seems to me that shooting that kind of bullet would at least increase your hit probability, and maybe even extend your range a little bit.

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