Project Appleseed

Wow! Nice shootin', asminuteman! I would be proud to make those shots off of sandbags...with my modern, scoped rifle! It really boggles my mind that you made those shots off-hand...with a flint lock...and old eyes! I found it difficult to believe that the revolutionary war era rifles could hold <1 MOA, at all, never mind the riflemen! I believe I stand corrected! Nay schooled! I'd like to see some examples of what other "Master" shooters are capable of at this distance--regardless what rifle is being used.

That said, I have never shot at anything beyond 100 yards, so I have nothing of personal experience against which to compare the relative difficulty. There simply are no places to shoot that distance in my vicinity (open to the public, anyway). I was really hoping that I would get to try actual distance on my first AS, but now that I am more familiar with the goings on at an AS, I can truly appreciate how impractical that would be.

One more subtle observation, if you will indulge me. I noticed that the three hits closest to COM were "cratered" more than the 3 hits low. Any explanation for the difference in the tearing around the hole? (Is there a technical term commonly used for the "halo" around the bullet hole? I know that the "halo" tends to be considered when judging the "30 caliber rule". And I suspect that might change with paper type, thickness, backstop, humidity, etc.)

Not  sure about the "crater"....and I do see it....
*just a guess*.....if the spru hit the paper first?......(paper is loser in the center then the edges)
and its not the whole story...(it never is)
I know my hold over for 300......depending upon load....(as much as 4' )
I was off hand..however...in fairness....I leaned my arm against the roof post......I still held the rifle.....
does this change it?.....yes and no....(in all fairness offered though)

Excellent shooting!!

Less than 1.5 MOA per 3 shot group, offhand at 300 (llooks like one group of 1.2 and one of 1 moa).  With all six shots being less than 3.5 MOA vertical and 1 MOA horizontal. That would be one troubled red coat.

   asminuteman 

Regarding the frontier rifleman, here's another nugget - this from Joseph Doddridge's "Notes on the Settlement and Indian Wars..." -

QuoteShooting at marks was a common diversion among the men, when their stock of ammunition would allow it; this, however, was far from being always the case. The present mode of shooting off hand was not then in practice. This mode was not considered as any trial of the value of a gun ; nor, indeed, as much of a test of the skill of a marksman. Their shooting was from a rest, and at as great a distance as the length and weight of the barrel of the gun would throw a ball on a horizontal level. Such was their regard to accuracy, in these sportive trials of their rifles, and of their own skill in the use of them, that they often put moss, or some other soft substance, on the log or stump from which they shot, for fear of having the bullet thrown from the mark, by the spring of the barrel. When the rifle was held to the side of a tree for a rest, it was pressed against it as lightly as possible, for the same reason.


Rifles of former times were different from those of modern date; few of them carried more than forty-five bullets to the pound [which works out to a minimum bore size between .45 and .50 cal - K]. Bullets of less size were not thought sufficiently heavy for hunting or war.
(page 124)

I swear some of that sounds almost word for word like something out of Col. Whelen or Col. Cooper's books.