Whitworth
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Rick
A picture of some of the bullets I've used in my Whitworth
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Rick
Whitworth
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...........Gary, The Polisar PP'd bullet on the left is a commercial item and were sent to me for a tryout. I don't have anymore of them. The balance are currantly made, and available bullet moulds, except for my custom mould. The custom mould is an adjustable cavity which will drop up to a 580gr cylindrical smooth bullet of .465". This bullet HAS to be swaged hex.
The other bullets are common Lyman and Saeco numbers. These are handled in several ways. Since the Whitworth is .451" across it's flats, they have to have some sizing done. The way they're used is 1) As cast, pan lubed and then sized .452". 2) Pan lubed as cast & swaged hex. 3) As cast, PP'd and sized .452" 4) As cast, PP'd and then swaged hex.
It's basicly as simple as merely using most any heavy 45 Cal rifle bullet and then sizing it to .452". During the War Between the States, the Confederacy didn't have the luxury of swaged hexagonal slugs and regular cylindrical bullets got 98% of the duty. Even in Briton the home of the Whitworth, most target matchs were fired with cylindrical bullets then hexagonal ones. I'm sure you already knew that though
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We occasionally have a muzzle loader match at out club and the wennies there have banned my use of the Whitworth However, using that rifle at 50 yards is like mashing flies with a clawhammer. I use the P58 Enfield instead and can still usually finish in the top 3 if not an outright win, ha!
Rick
The other bullets are common Lyman and Saeco numbers. These are handled in several ways. Since the Whitworth is .451" across it's flats, they have to have some sizing done. The way they're used is 1) As cast, pan lubed and then sized .452". 2) Pan lubed as cast & swaged hex. 3) As cast, PP'd and sized .452" 4) As cast, PP'd and then swaged hex.
It's basicly as simple as merely using most any heavy 45 Cal rifle bullet and then sizing it to .452". During the War Between the States, the Confederacy didn't have the luxury of swaged hexagonal slugs and regular cylindrical bullets got 98% of the duty. Even in Briton the home of the Whitworth, most target matchs were fired with cylindrical bullets then hexagonal ones. I'm sure you already knew that though
.We occasionally have a muzzle loader match at out club and the wennies there have banned my use of the Whitworth
However, using that rifle at 50 yards is like mashing flies with a clawhammer. I use the P58 Enfield instead and can still usually finish in the top 3 if not an outright win, ha!Rick
Poodleshooter
Member
So are the hexagonal bullets more accurate, or is the rifle rather indifferent to them since they all swage in the barrel anyway?
Now you just need some little glass Whitworth bottles to store the cartridges in.
Now you just need some little glass Whitworth bottles to store the cartridges in.
Whitworth
Member
............Poodleshooter, no I honestly can't say that those swaged hexagonal are more accurate. They are more work though! As I mentioned in a previous post:
"Even in Britain the home of the Whitworth, most target matchs were fired with cylindrical bullets rather then hexagonal ones."
In that heyday of British mid and long range target shooting of the 1860's, it was mostly the well heeled who had the finest equipment, just as it is today. Althought today you can submit your soul to the plastic credit god and look pretty good on the line. It was mostley these folks who insisted on having the percived 'best' of everything.
It's factually noted that conicals were fired in substantial numbers compared to the swaged hex bullets. Mentioned was the fact that. "Only for the finest accuracy at long range (800, 900, & 1000 yds) were hexagonal bullets reserved. " and if the truth be known, it was just that the shooter probably THOUGHT they did a better job.
Due to the schedule I work (nights/weekends) I can't compete and so far as I know there are no LRML matchs held in So. Calif. anyway. My local range only goes to 200 meters. I did get to shoot at a 600 yard silhuette range (no match) in Sierra Vista, AZ. They had hanging steel every hundred yards to the 600 yard line. These were essencially 1 foot square, diamond, or round plates. The 600 yard line was a graded ledge on the facing hillside. This made the black plate hanging there 'just' visible against the lighter earth, if it was pointed out.
I used a blade insert in the front sight as the floating apurture I had in it made the plate invisible. To shorten the story I used 85.0grs of Elephant 2F, lubed felt overpowder wad, a 1/8" grease cookie and the Saeco #745 bullet. It took 3 or 4 rounds to get the elevation set with the ladder and elevator surprisingly enough just above the "6" on the ladder. Windage was Kentucky type. I had beautiful conditions anyway, with a very mild intermittant breeze from about 4 o'clock.
Of 26 rounds I fired after the sighters, I hit the plate 18 times. I was very pleased, to say the least. There were several hunters sighting in and they thought I was berserk to try and shoot a muzzle loader that far. I believe they thought I was using a patched RB or something. I ended up with several kibitzers standing around watching. The hardest part was getting used to how long the sound took to return from a hit, HA! I fired and the air would lift the powder smoke up and away a bit. I had time to think, "Crap, I missed!" then a 'Clang' would return. It was great fun.
Rick
"Even in Britain the home of the Whitworth, most target matchs were fired with cylindrical bullets rather then hexagonal ones."
In that heyday of British mid and long range target shooting of the 1860's, it was mostly the well heeled who had the finest equipment, just as it is today. Althought today you can submit your soul to the plastic credit god and look pretty good on the line
. It was mostley these folks who insisted on having the percived 'best' of everything. It's factually noted that conicals were fired in substantial numbers compared to the swaged hex bullets. Mentioned was the fact that. "Only for the finest accuracy at long range (800, 900, & 1000 yds) were hexagonal bullets reserved. " and if the truth be known, it was just that the shooter probably THOUGHT they did a better job.
Due to the schedule I work (nights/weekends) I can't compete and so far as I know there are no LRML matchs held in So. Calif. anyway. My local range only goes to 200 meters. I did get to shoot at a 600 yard silhuette range (no match) in Sierra Vista, AZ. They had hanging steel every hundred yards to the 600 yard line. These were essencially 1 foot square, diamond, or round plates. The 600 yard line was a graded ledge on the facing hillside. This made the black plate hanging there 'just' visible against the lighter earth, if it was pointed out.
I used a blade insert in the front sight as the floating apurture I had in it made the plate invisible. To shorten the story I used 85.0grs of Elephant 2F, lubed felt overpowder wad, a 1/8" grease cookie and the Saeco #745 bullet. It took 3 or 4 rounds to get the elevation set with the ladder and elevator surprisingly enough just above the "6" on the ladder. Windage was Kentucky type. I had beautiful conditions anyway, with a very mild intermittant breeze from about 4 o'clock.
Of 26 rounds I fired after the sighters, I hit the plate 18 times. I was very pleased, to say the least. There were several hunters sighting in and they thought I was berserk to try and shoot a muzzle loader that far. I believe they thought I was using a patched RB or something
. I ended up with several kibitzers standing around watching. The hardest part was getting used to how long the sound took to return from a hit, HA! I fired and the air would lift the powder smoke up and away a bit. I had time to think, "Crap, I missed!" then a 'Clang' would return. It was great fun.Rick
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