[ironcharlie]

Recently got a .451 volunteer long range rifle. Do bullets have to be pure lead or can the be standard alloys?

[BHP FAN]

Closest I've got was the Musketoon...but I do know you should use lead as pure as you can get it.

[rusty from italy]

Here i am, volunteer shooter!
The bullet work well in pure lead with just a bit of tin, 40:1 alloy work well for me with heavy powder load, over 70 grains of FFFg!
Pure lead work with light load, 50 grains of FFFg! Remember that this kind of rifle put out of duty a standard nipple in 20-30 shots!
ciao
Rusty

[kBob]

I thought the .451 Voulteer rifles worked best with a paper patched bullet, but not owning one I can't say.

I was recently reading a short section in a book on firearms development about the British Volunteer movement. Apearently these were volunteer militias made of manly of gun cranks because of the threat of French Invasion while the English regular army was mainly scattered around the world.

Despite the .451 Vounteer rifle repros today most were appearently .577 caliber and most based on the two band Enfield. Greener appearently made some very nice ones. SOme had the tighter faster fouling rifleing pitch as accuracy was believed more important than many shots by the civilian volunteers.

Wonder if any of these entered the CSA as sharpshooter's rifles?

Wonder if anyone has taken a "standard" two bander and added the checkering and markings of the Greener guns?

How similar are the .451 rifle repros and the CSA's "Kerr" sharpshooters' rifles?

-Bob Hollingsworth

[4v50 Gary]

The Kerr had a hexagonal bore but differed from the Whitworth in that it had a gain-twist barrel. A Kerr sharpshooter rifle may be seen at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond.