Whitworth Rifle..........

[DuncaninFrance]

............

I have been lusting after a Whitworth for some time and have managed to get my hands on a Parker Hale one. The price and availability ( customs etc.,) are just out of my bankpark!
Anyway, it is coming from France so could be here by the weekend or early next week.
The final nail in the coffin was last month in the UK when I go to shoot an original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya6iFV2 ... derEnfield

It has some very strange sights so looks like a lot of work to do to get it back to normal...

[Niner]

I was reading the other day about how valuable the Whitworth was to Confederate sharp shooters during the Civil War. There is a page about the "Campaign of Mobile", on Facebook. The other day was posted a photo of a Whitworth and this statement copied from documents as the Union Forces encroached for the finial assault on the Confederate works at Spanish Fort and beginning to set up positions around Blakely a few miles North.

“I am much in need of sharpshooters. Send me the Whitworth riflemen, or half of them, if you cannot spare all. The enemy are very near you, and here they are at some distance, but with their sharpshooters kill and wound men at the Blakely wharf. I will send you five other men.”

- Telegraph from BG St. John R. Liddell at Fort Blakeley to BG Randall L. Gibson at Spanish Fort, April 5, 1865.

There was a link to this interesting thumbnail history of the rifle. Seems the British knew the value of the rifle but failed to equip their army as it was judged too expensive to buy in any quantity. The Confederates bought as many as they could of the scant supply and valued them.


https://www.historynet.com/sure-shot-co ... -gqc99Mzog

[Niner]

Interesting video. Not sure I'm following your load sequence. The powder funnel first looks normal enough. Then looks like you stuff a wad or two in ? Then probably the bullet. At the end you run a patch down the bore with the regular ramrod and then turn the dirty side over and stick it in the end of the barrel? Then the firing cap is placed and you fire it. So what did I see really?

Ok...I found a video that seems to be exactly like what you did. Wonder if the Civil War soldier did it that way with the cardboard hex and felt wads? Also wasn't thinking about the hex loading rod tip either, which would be special to this rifle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDl1em-RBM

Ok...further research. Use by military of the day was achieved by production of a stiff paper tube with the bullet, lubricated wads and powder.

To save the trouble of weighing the charges, and pressing the projectiles, it is recommended to use the Whitworth Patent Cartridge, in which the powder is carefully weighed, and the projectiles are uniform in weight, size, and figure. This Cartridge consists of a tube, containing the projectile, patent lubricating wad, and powder, placed in their proper order, ready for use. The powder is kept in the tube by a valve, or trap. When the cartridge is used, the end containing the powder is inserted in the muzzle of the rifle (which is chamfered to receive it,) and is held there with the left hand. The ramrod, which should be previously withdrawn from the stock, is held in the right hand. The trap is withdrawn by the finger and thumb of the right hand, and the powder falls into the barrel. The ramrod is then pushed through the tube, taking down with it the projectile and lubricating wad, which should be gradually and gently pressed. The emptied tube is thrown away, and the loading is complete.

The cartridges should be kept dry, but should not be subjected to a heat higher than 90° Fahrenheit.

https://researchpress.uk/research/hexbo ... whitworth/

[DuncaninFrance]

The Cofederates bought these rifles with English Powder and Bullets I believe as it was the best that could be found. They were expensive and that is why they were not taken up by the British Army.
Queen victoria opened the very first NRA (British 1859 and older than your US one ) rifle meet at at Wimbledon in 1860.
https://www.rct.uk/collection/2941854/t ... -wimbledon

The venue changed to Bisley in July 1890.

Loading process is slightly different from Mike's
1. Powder.
2. Card Wad.
3. Lubed Felt Wad.
4. Card Wad.
5. Bullet.
6. Clean the bore with a lubed flannellet,then dry it (This done here to prevent the wads being sucked away from
the powder.)
7. Add percussion cap.
8. Shoot!!

[Aughnanure]

Duncan,
An enviable experience to shoot an original; I had the pleasure in about 1956 when Mick Smith, a Sydney gun dealer ( Smith’s Sports Store) lent us his original and almost unfired8 one, in case with all the goodies.
The costliness of Whitworths was brought home to us when Lynton McKenzie [of later gun engraving fame), contacted Esdales [at the time a leading firm of instrument makers] to price having a copy made of the tall rear aperture sight.

To the same degree of accuracy , parallel and square to 1/10,000 of an inch and with silver range scales instead of the platinum of the original , £A 1,000.[more than a years wages at the time for most people].
Needless to say . . .

[DuncaninFrance]

The seller has banked the cheque for payment so I hope to receive it next week..........

[Niner]

Looking this stream over again I'm wondering what the point of the "card wad" is? When I've shot my pistols over the years I'd put in a felt wad over the powder and then the ball. The idea in the pistol was to prevent chain fires and using the wad in place of grease as a sealer. In a rifle there is no chain fire and if the wad helps to pack the powder under the ball I can see that, but the thin paper wad? What's it do?

[DuncaninFrance]

The whole loading process as I understand it does not requite the powder to be compacted as would be the case in other BP firearms. In fact it is frowned upon.
The first card wad prevents lube from the felt wad from contaminating the powder. The felt wad acts as a cleaner for the previous shot. The second card wad prevents the paper on the wrapped bullet from becoming soft and disintegrating thus unbalancing the bullet as it leaves the barrel.

These are my conclusions and not detail that I have read elsewhere but I know someone who has shot a Whitworth more than once in the Bisley meet and that is how he does it too.

[Niner]

If your considered loading plan works no need to understand all the physics of it. Thanks for the explanation.

[DuncaninFrance]

Well it arrived today................