Roa

[Turnup]

The revolving pistol was popular from about 1836 onwards.


I did not know that handguns were fired in competition at Wimbledon - can you please point me at a source of information concerning that element of the shooting sport?

TIA

tac

Why are you asking me? I made no such claim, in fact it is my unsupported opinion that there would be very few revolvers used at Wimbledon (if any), the type being not the chosen weapon of the gentlemen.

I could be wrong on this.

Single pistol would be the favoured gun for duelling, and many a gentleman would show off his skill at targets in order to make potential challengers think twice. Of course such guns would not be rifled (not sporting in duelling old boy). However precision target shooting was also popular (probably as a spin off from duelling practice), using rifled single pistols, with a lubed patch and ball. I would not be surprised to find that there were such competitions at Wimbledon, but have no specific information. It happens that the curator of the NRA museum attends one of the clubs I am a member of, and I will ask him the next chance I get, but don't hold your breath.

[grantb]

I use 30 grains of Goex FFFG in my ROA - no wads or filler, and find it an accurate load. I do put grease on top of the ball to help prevent chain fires.

[tacfoley]

Why are you asking me? I made no such claim, in fact it is my unsupported opinion that there would be very few revolvers used at Wimbledon (if any), the type being not the chosen weapon of the gentlemen.

I could be wrong on this.

Single pistol would be the favoured gun for duelling, and many a gentleman would show off his skill at targets in order to make potential challengers think twice. Of course such guns would not be rifled (not sporting in duelling old boy). However precision target shooting was also popular (probably as a spin off from duelling practice), using rifled single pistols, with a lubed patch and ball. I would not be surprised to find that there were such competitions at Wimbledon, but have no specific information. It happens that the curator of the NRA museum attends one of the clubs I am a member of, and I will ask him the next chance I get, but don't hold your breath.

'Grease and wads and patches were certainly in use in the firearms of the day at Wimbledon - dunno about filler though - can't have been many revolvers in that era.'

Your words.

My question is, and you can ask your shooting pal, what grease, wads and patches were used in Wimbledon in the day? I still shoot BP long range target rifle, and use none of them them. Powder first, then bullet. No grease, no wads and no patches.

Incidentally, the last duel was fought in England in 1852.

Filler, as far as I can judge, is a modern 'invention'. When percussion handguns were in vogue, the chambers were filled with as much would permit also loading a ball. The fad of 'short-loading' and making up the gap is a novelty. Please read the instructions inside a Colt revolving pistol case.

tac

[tacfoley]

I use 30 grains of Goex FFFG in my ROA - no wads or filler, and find it an accurate load. I do put grease on top of the ball to help prevent chain fires.

Chain fires do not happen from the front of a hermetically-sealed chamber, but from the back via ill-fitting caps on worn nipples that allow the flame out of the side to set off the other chambers.

tac

[Turnup]

'Grease and wads and patches were certainly in use in the firearms of the day at Wimbledon - dunno about filler though - can't have been many revolvers in that era.'

Your words.

My question is, and you can ask your shooting pal, what grease, wads and patches were used in Wimbledon in the day? I still shoot BP long range target rifle, and use none of them them. Powder first, then bullet. No grease, no wads and no patches.

Incidentally, the last duel was fought in England in 1852.

Filler, as far as I can judge, is a modern 'invention'. When percussion handguns were in vogue, the chambers were filled with as much would permit also loading a ball. The fad of 'short-loading' and making up the gap is a novelty. Please read the instructions inside a Colt revolving pistol case.

tac

Tac, we seem to be creatively misunderstanding each other. You asked me to substantiate that handguns were in use at Wimbledon. At the point in the thread where you asked this I had made no such claim (please re-read the threat to verify this). I DID assert that grease and wads and patches were used at Wimbledon:

My opinion:

Handgun use : I have no specific knowledge but I did state later in the thread that it is at least possible that there would be competitions for target handguns, the sport becoming popular as an extension of the older, duelling days.

Grease: The Whitworth rifle is very difficult to load with no lube and one practitioner of the art of my acquaintance holds that this is how they were intended to be used, Also the Minnie bullet of the day had four cannelures to carry lube. A mixture of Beeswax and Tallow is the traditional lube, but others were likely in use.

Wads: Over powder wads were not uncommon as a means of reducing fouling.

Patches: Probably of not much use with bullets, but lubed patches are and were used with ball in both smooth and rifled longarms. It seemed at least probable to me that there would be some short range competitions for such guns.

I hope "the authority" will be present at my club tomorrow evening. If he is I will see what he has to say on the subject. I'm pretty sure that he will have plenty to say, he usually does.

[tacfoley]

Tac, we seem to be creatively misunderstanding each other. You asked me to substantiate that handguns were in use at Wimbledon. At the point in the thread where you asked this I had made no such claim (please re-read the threat to verify this). I DID assert that grease and wads and patches were used at Wimbledon:

My opinion:

Handgun use : I have no specific knowledge but I did state later in the thread that it is at least possible that there would be competitions for target handguns, the sport becoming popular as an extension of the older, duelling days.

Grease: The Whitworth rifle is very difficult to load with no lube and one practitioner of the art of my acquaintance holds that this is how they were intended to be used, Also the Minnie bullet of the day had four cannelures to carry lube. A mixture of Beeswax and Tallow is the traditional lube, but others were likely in use.

Wads: Over powder wads were not uncommon as a means of reducing fouling.

Patches: Probably of not much use with bullets, but lubed patches are and were used with ball in both smooth and rifled longarms. It seemed at least probable to me that there would be some short range competitions for such guns.

I hope "the authority" will be present at my club tomorrow evening. If he is I will see what he has to say on the subject. I'm pretty sure that he will have plenty to say, he usually does.

Aaaah, the problems we encounter between two great English-speaking countries...I apologise for misreading your post.

I shoot a Whitworth rifle, a couple of .577cal rifles, and a couple of Sniders - between that selection are all the types of bullet that you note. I shoot my mechanically-fitting Whitworth bullets nekkid, my Minié bullets with their grease-filled grooves and the Snider with an internal wad to hold the charge compressed.

Over the way I shoot both flint and percussion long rifles - as you note, with lubed patches.

If your shooting pal is Bill Curtis, please pass on to him my felicitations.

tac