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On Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 9:22:36â¯AM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:
I don\'t have definite numbers, but the long rifle was almost certainly standard issue for the Pennsylvania militias.
In many other places, the militias were so ad hoc it was a BYOG ( bring your own gun ) operation. The more upscale hunters from the frontier states like Kentucky and Tennessee possessed the long rifle. They depended on the rifle to hunt game and avoid starvation, which is always a great motivator. The long rifle was not a \'war innovation\', it was a hunting innovation.
Prior to mid-century, the maximum effective range of standard military rifles was 100 meter. The Minie ball projectile fired from rifled weapon increased it to 300 meter. That\'s a super good advantage over an opposing force that doesn\'t have them.
On Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 10:56:57â¯PM UTC+10, sci.electronics.design wrote:
On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 1:36:00â¯PM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:
I wouldn\'t bother. The mechanics of maintaining and firing a modern breech-loading rifled gun don\'t have much relevance to local militias of the war of independence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_rifle
The long rifle wasn\'t a local militia weapon. It was specialised and expensive tool used by specialist marksmen,
I don\'t have definite numbers, but the long rifle was almost certainly standard issue for the Pennsylvania militias.
In many other places, the militias were so ad hoc it was a BYOG ( bring your own gun ) operation. The more upscale hunters from the frontier states like Kentucky and Tennessee possessed the long rifle. They depended on the rifle to hunt game and avoid starvation, which is always a great motivator. The long rifle was not a \'war innovation\', it was a hunting innovation.
Daniel Morgan put together a company of riflemen using these weapons and deployed to the battle of Saratoga. There was an unwritten rule of warfare at the time that prohibited lowly non-commissioned officers from killing officers of the opposing force. Morgan was obsessed with hatred for the officer corps of the British army, and ordered his men to prioritize targeting and killing them, which they did with great proficiency, as in 500 meter shots made from tall trees.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan%27s_Riflemen
Seeing the ghastly wounds made by these large bore projectiles, the Hessians broke and ran. In a few instances their British officer handlers tried to stop them but were shot dead by the Hessians. It was quite a melee.
There nothing quite like superior weapons used by people who know how to use them. Local militia typically didn\'t spend that kind on money on their weapons, nor spend the time required to get thoroughly proficient with them.. Neither did the bulk of professional army units. The needle rifle didn\'t show up for another sixty years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyse_needle_gun
Prior to mid-century, the maximum effective range of standard military rifles was 100 meter. The Minie ball projectile fired from rifled weapon increased it to 300 meter. That\'s a super good advantage over an opposing force that doesn\'t have them.
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Bill Sloman, Sydney