confederate whitworth rifle

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Mechanically functional, bore very good with scattered oxidation and some light pitting. For the coup de grace, the committee loaded the Whitworths hexagonal ammunition and retreated to an astounding 2,000 yards (more than a mile), where the rifle made six out of 20 shots. It is almost certain that both Whitworth Rifles #B547 and #B902 were in that shipment of six rifles to the Richmond Arsenal from the Macon Arsenal. Some Confederate generalsespecially Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne of the Army of Tennesseeconsolidated their sharpshooters into dedicated companies, using them to divert enemy forces where needed. No doubt this is when the screws were inadvertently exchanged. Union Gen. John Sedgwick was killed by a Whitworth rifle while telling his men they couldnt be killed at 1,000 yards. I used to own a D series Whitworth very similar to this rifle but without the scope.and would pass on some observations. They were generally unpopular due to their excessive dispersion even compared to smoothbore artillery, and after the first year of the war the rocket batteries on both sides were converted to conventional field artillery or mountain artillery units. In loading, the projectile should be pressed gently home, and should not be so forced down as to crush the lubricating wad or the grains of powder. The Whitworth rifle was an English made single-shot muzzleloader with excellent long-range accuracy for its era, that saw extensive use with the Confederate sharpshooters in the American Civil War, even claiming the lives of several Union generals, including John Sedgwick, one of the highest-ranking Union officers killed during the Civil War, shot on May . Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. per bag. In this case I could imagine that an unfired bullet would be cylindrical, but a fired one would have to have some degree of deformation to a hexagonal cross section for the idea to work. Similarly the Figure of Merit of the Enfield was 8.04 feet at 11 yards; the group will be significantly larger. The document is found in the Compiled Service Records of Confederate General and Staff Officer and Nonregimental Enlisted Men (NARA Record Group #109, Publication #331, NARA Catalog ID #586957) in the file of Captain O.W. The storage of Whitworth bullets prepared for shooting could take the form of containers like these reproductions of original Whitworth tins. While the Confederacy was actively attempting to acquire the extremely accurate and expensive rifles during 1861 and 1862, Major Anderson of the Confederacy noted they were to have cost as much as "about $1,000, in the equivalent of gold, for each rifle and one thousand rounds of ammunition". They didnt bother testing the Enfield at this distance. Number Used in Civil War Approx. [quote style=boxed float=left]Whitworth showed a natural talent for mechanics at a young age[/quote]. As he prepared to fire, though, a Federal officer dragged Abraham Lincoln out of view. Good dropped condition with a few wartime nicks. The Enfield it was tested against used a Minnie bullet that was smaller than the bore and had an expanding skirt. One thing that is clear from the Tennenet book, and whats been said on this discussion, is that a large part of the issue/complaint about fouling in the Whiteworth was simple down to the fact the bullets actually fitted the barrel! Whitworth Bullet for Confederate Sharpshooter - Virginia Civil War Relics It was also unusual in that it was a breechloader. But if the bullet expanded properly, it left the gun, as it were, sponged out after every shot. Given the blockade number in the 4,000 range, (Confederate Navy purchases are usually much lower) this one was used in the Army on land. His collecting and shooting of antique arms is tempered by his growing accumulation of Civil Warera diaries, including sharpshooter journals. But now because we averaged the radial distances, that 9 inch circle only contains approximately 50% of the shots fired. Confederate Whitworth Sharpshooters. [quote style=boxed float=left]Sedgwick chided veteran soldiers with assurances that confederate shooters couldnt hit an elephant at this distance[/quote]. Wartime Weaponry: The American Civil War - Pew Pew Tactical If you continue to use this website you agree to our use of cookies. That meant that it could be used with fouling that would stop a Whiteworth. confederate whitworth for sale: Search Result | eBay The story of the Whitworth rifle and the new Pedersoli repro There is a very minor surface chipping at . To this day, Whitworth Threads are still used on many products, particularly English ones. I am also bit mystified with this part. I goofed, and interpreted Figure of Merit numbers as whole group sizes. Written in 1864, its a review of then-recent developments in English arms and ordnance, with a focus on the transition of both muskets and cannon from smoothbore to rifled. Veteran soldiers nearby ducked for cover; however, Sedgwick stood firm, chiding them with assurances that the Confederate shooters couldnt hit an elephant at this distance. Ignoring pleas from his troops to leave the field of fire, the general stepped between two cannon of the 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery and repeated his earlier observation: They couldnt hit an elephant at this distance.. Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. This rifle became well reputed for its dependability, accuracy, and effective range. One curious thing is the number of Whitworth bullets shown that seem to be simple cylinders. Capable of holding lubricated/patched projectiles, wads and percussion capsthese tins aided in organizing and maintaining accurate ammunition. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a714e7cc3e5d85cfa32448f99d4f13b0" );document.getElementById("f4f0d58121").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I used to call the hexagon calibrered artillery pieces Armstrong-Whitworths, which I now discover is wrong. This gun conforms to the other examples known with "WHITWORTH RIFLE CO MANCHESTER" forward of hammer on lock and Crown over "W" rear of hammer and engraved on . SN C544. or Best Offer. Whereas the Enfields projectile rotated one full turn every 78 inches, Whitworths turned the same amount in 20 inchesnearly four times faster. Shipping costs are provided with your finalized invoice 24-48 hours after auction. I just took a look at your suggested .pdf and loved it, many thanks for providing it! Please note this correction: However, the rifles were equally expensive, and were not given further consideration for military use. Whitworth rifle Wikipdia according to data in link above (despite sometimes used interrupted version) was killed few minutes after saying that, Whitworth is now often with polygonal rifling, but in fact there exist some others weapons using it, query in Wikipedia: Whitworth Rifle Reproduction - The Firearm Blog But the available Whitworths were costly and difficult to come by. Its designer, Joseph Whitworth, owner of the Whitworth Rifle Company, sold it to the Confederate States during the American Civil War. This number is what was used to compare the Enfield and the Whitworth. >> seem to be simple cylinders. Missing the rear sight elevating ladder and ramrod. Marked "WHITWORTH RIFLE Co MANCHESTER" on the lockplate with Birmingham proof marks and the serial number C529 on the upper left quadrant of the bbl. Lock engravedWHITWORTH RIFLE Co MANCHESTER in a single horizontal line forward of the hammer and marked with Whitworth's {Crowned-W} trademark at the tail of the lock. The conditions the morning of May 9 were practically perfect for a sharpshooter. But the Confederate Gov't purchased a number of British Whitworth sniping rifles and these were deadly at long range. IMPORTANT AND EXTREMELY RARE WHITWORTH CONFEDERATE SNIPER RIFLE. Cal. This is a military target rifle of type possibly used by the Confederacy, it is similar configuration to known Confederate rifles, but only 1 identified Confederate rifle is noted as "Best Quality" like this one. He quickly mastered an understanding of the mills intricate machinery, often complaining about its lack of precisionan obsession that would distinguish him in time. The Whitworth was tried out with hexagonal brass and even iron bullets, without difficulty in the early days. During the Crimean War (1853-56), the British government turned to Whitworth for machine tools to manufacture its standard-issue .577-caliber Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket, which the military was already thinking of replacing. Of these, the best known examples are #B509, donated to the Tennessee State Historical Society (now at the TN State Museum) by Confederate General A.P. It was far more expensive than the Enfield Rifle. Paper patched bullets were used or cartridges. Sponsored. Manufactured by Whitworth Ordnance Company, Manchester, England< /br> It is not clear how many Whitworth rifles reached the Confederate shores, and sometimes it is also a hard task to differentiate the Whitworth armed sharpshooters from . Surviving examples of these guns are exceedingly scarce with only about twenty legitimate examples known. As it can be seen, unimpeachable examples tend to be in institutional collections where they will never be available for private ownership. The most common type of Confederate Whitworth rifle was a 33" barrel rifle, featuring an Enfield pattern stock with two iron barrel bands, iron sights and Enfield pattern lock. You poured the lead in the to of the mold, and used a special mold handle with a rod to push the bullet out of the mold. 52. 33" round barrel secured by two rounded clamping barrel bands. SN C529. In October, 2017, another rare surviving Confederate scoped 2nd Quality Whitworth rifle (SN C544) reportedly sold at auction for $161,000. The Whitworth rifle was a British-made rifled musket heavily based on the Pattern 1853 Enfield. the flats did not actually touch each other, with the spaces in between being still rounded). Yes, but Whitworth ammunition usually came as pre-prepared rounds just like most rifle ammunition of the era. http://www.researchpress.co.uk/index.php/contact. SN C529. Your email address will not be published. As a true Confederate Whitworth, however, this is an extremely rare and historically relevant rifle! Maximum Range 10,000 yards (about 6 miles)< /br> Two of the highest-ranking Federal officers killed during the war were taken down by the polygon-barreled, scoped musket. http://www.am-firearms.com/cu31924030764355.pdf. Lock with a mottled grayish patina. Cone protectors could be fashioned in the field from a carved bullet. The most suitable composition he found to be a mixture of tallow and wax, and with this introduced between the powder and the ball a cartridge for the Whitworth rifled fowling-piece presents the appearances shown in the accompanying sketch.. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As he slowly slumped to the ground, the bullet hole was plainly visible below his left eye. Interestingly, Whitworth also made and sold cannon operating under the same principle, both muzzle and breechloading. That said, the Enfield delivered a Figure of merit of 27 inches which paled in comparison to the Whitworth. The center of the group (or Mean Point of Impact) is plotted and then the distance between the MPI and each shot is measured, added up and averaged. Born in 1803, Joseph Whitworth showed a natural talent for mechanics at a young age. SN C529. These guns were essentially too accurate at too long a range to be wholly effective, given the target acquisition and spotting methods of the period. Whitworth Rifle - The Civil War in the East https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifled_muzzle_loader. The results were striking. Compare that to 1 in 72 for the Enfield. Possessing excellent long range accuracy for its time, the Whitworth, when used with a scope, was the world's first sniper rifle, and saw use with Confederate sharpshooters in the American Civil War. Most every other gun during this time period were muzzle loaders. Cylindrical bullet molds were the most commonly encountered, but expedient hexagonal bullet molds could be constructed using a section of barrel. bullets (Aproximately 2/3 dropped and 1/3 fired) - each bag includes a variety of different type bullets at a low cost of $1.78 per bullet--$89. Whitworth constructed his sleek, almost delicate-looking, cannon of steel, making it lighter than the Civil Wars ubiquitous bronze Napoleon 12-pounder howitzer. None of these guesses seem very satisfying to me, however. It was made to surpass the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle, which had flaws that were noted in the recent Crimean War. Propellant Charge 1.75 lbs of black powder< /br> As embarrassing as this is, I can offer the following from wikipedia: Two types of bullets were used in the Whitworth rifle, hexagonal and cylindrical. Whitworth "Best Quality" Military Target Rifle One of the earliest references to the issuance of these highly prized rifles comes from a letter written by the Confederate Chief of Ordnance Colonel Joshua Gorgas to General Braxton Bragg commanding the Army of Tennessee on 29 May 1863. There is located nice exhibit of naval gun development. The screws were exchanged and now both gun have their original correctly numbered screw in their locks. The 12-pdr rifle was designed in the early 1850s by British manufacturer Joseph Whitworth, who had recently been contracted to improve the Pattern 1853 Enfield. A limited amount of Whitworth ammunition was imported in the form of loaded cartridges and projectiles prepared in British factories. Arms and the men: a sharpshooters weapons - CFS Press The trigger guard is marked "2nd QUALITY" behind the trigger. The Whitworth is a breech-loader. Whitworth made a 12-pounder breechloading field gun on the hexagonal bore principle; http://civilwarwiki.net/wiki/12_pdr._Whitworth_Breechloading_Rifle. It is the three-band model, cased with accessories. Damon Mills Whitworth Rifle Even so, the unquestionably accurate Whitworth was soon in the hands of competitors at British shooting events, and in 1860 was fired by Queen Victoria to open the matches at Wimbledon. BIDDER, said that every gun in which a certain amount of powder was exploded, would become foul. Unable to produce what they needed, the South looked abroad. On completing school, he entered into an indentured apprenticeship in his uncles spinning mill with the intention of some day inheriting the business. The figures Ian uses are derived from the same British report that I included in my article. A muzzle-loaded, single-shot rifle, the Whitworth was the first of its kind and changed warfare for the next century and more. Civil war use Whitworth rifle. According to Whitworth, the ideal length of a rifle's bullet was at least triple its diameter. A captured Whitworth rifle, imported by the Confederates from England. How it would affect accuracy? The original bullets did use a paper patch, however the rifling was a straight 1 in 20 with no gain twist. They were not available in large numbers, but they were excellent rifles and put to use as much as possible. Designed by Sir Joseph Whitworth before the Civil War, it fired an elongated 12-pound iron shell which fit snuggly into the fine rifling of the tube. Looking at list of guns it is possible I made a mistake. A total of approximately 13,000 (or a little more) Whitworth muzzleloading rifles (including 5,400 for the military) were manufactured in Britain during the period from 1857 to 1865. Confederate Sharpshooter's Rifles USSS Pvt Truman Head, aka California Joe, was legendary for his marksmanship. The gun also made a distinctive shrill as the shot flew overhead. http://www.researchpress.co.uk/index.php/firearms/british-military-longarms/small-arms-trials/measuring-accuracy, As I explained to Ian in an email this morning theres two different Figures of Merit for measuring shot groups; The British one which is indeed what we call Mean Radius and the American one which is explained by Julian Hatcher in Hatchers Notebook here https://archive.org/stream/Hatchers_Notebook#page/n431/mode/2up/search/merit. Because its hexagonal round fit geometrically with the guns bore, its unique rifling could spin the bullet without having to bite into (or grip) the bores outer surface. Seller: AncestryGunsLLC. The serial # is 393, which would put its manufacture in 1861. With only approximately 24 being accounted for today, they have always been highly prized. As side notes: It seems that in modern era even number for polygonal rifling is prefer (hexagonal and octagonal), did exist odd-polygonal rifling weapons (for example pentagonal or heptagonal)? The hexagonal form bullet did not need to expand to properly grip the barrel, and therefore could be made out of a harder alloy than pure lead. This gun certainly had its problems though. The cylindrical bullets had a small hollow base which would expand and grip the hexagonal sides of the barrel, which required that the bullets be made out of very soft lead. But its impact in the war was limited, not by flawed design but because only a scant number managed to breach the formidable Union naval blockade of Confederate-controlled ports. I used a hex bullet mold that was a tube type mold that had a plug in the end for the minnie type base. The gun is in very good to excellent condition with . The Confederate government, purchased a limited number of Whitworth rifles during the Civil War. Whitworth Sharpshooter Rifle - ACWRT Whitworth Rifle - Davide Pedersoli The order specifies: My guess is that the well-equipped sniper would carry both. His 530-grain, .451-caliber hexagonal bullet did not depend upon the unreliable expansion of a hollow base in order to engage the rifling of the bore, but instead relied upon the tight mechanical fit of his bullet to the .451 polygonal bore. Upon investigation it was found that the Wray gun had a lock screw numbered 902. Even when denied its intended proprietary ammunition, the Whitworth bested the Enfield. Whitworth with "CS" marks. I have some 530 grain, paper patched, cold swaged hex rounds. Shooting the .451 Whitworth civil war sniper rifle - YouTube Stewart, #B547 from the George Wray Collection, now in the collection of the Atlanta History Center, #C321 in a private collection, pictured on page 183 of The English Connection - Arms, Material and Support Furnished to the Confederate States of America by Great Britainby Pritchard, Huey, Prince, Nichols & Thomas and #C619 formerly in the collection of Richard D. Steuart and in the collection of the Virginia Historical Society. Whitworth Rifles are sometimes called the first real sniper rifle. Area Code: 314. The most common type of Confederate Whitworth rifle was a 33" barrel rifle, featuring an Enfield pattern stock with two iron barrel bands, iron sights and Enfield pattern lock. S/N B902. Its surface has an overall waxy tan-brown patina and measures approximately .450 inches in diameter and approximately 1.40 inches in length. Joseph Whitworth's Deadly Rifle. Again, the British Army passed on this local design but the long gun was adopted by both the French Army and the Confederate States of America.MilitaryFactory.com [dropcap]F[/dropcap]rom hundreds of yards away, a Confederate sharpshooter carefully aimed his prized Whitworth, the crosshairs of its Davidson telescopic sight outlined against the ramparts of Fort Stevens in Washington, D.C.
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