Early records of target sizes and ranges

[winfried]

Hi All,

I am interested to find out earliest records of distances shot, target sizes and penetration as well as the time to reload or how many shots were or could be fired per minute.
I am sure in the french records would be interesting things found, but I do not speak french.

Anybody know of early records?

Regards

Winfried

 

[drsfmd]

Read W.W. Greener's "The gun and its development". Not only one of the best books ever written on guns, it's also got some early shooting records. I don't think penetration was a thought that far back. It either killed the animal you were shooting at or it didn't.

 

[armoredman]

There were schutzenfests in early Germany and Swizterland areas, with some wooden plaques awarded. I've seen some pictures on the internet. Other than that, I might suggest English records, when the caviler and matchlock, along with the aristocracy's wheel locks were becoming the rage of modern armies, about Henry the VIII's reign.

 

[winfried]

Hi thanks I read W.W.Greener, excellent english written. Mostly accurate, but some constorversies with other historians exist.

There is another book by W.Greener, GUNNERY IN 1858, it is not the same Greener, but it might be Family of W.W.Greener.

Not trying to better one or criticize an excellent book of W.W.Greener, but I have a book on the development of firearms that has about 750 detailed illustrations and descriptions. Published in 1886, 170 people worked on the production.

Earliest firearms I could trace were breech loading cannons about 600 BC in China.

Regards

Winfried.

 

[winfried]

There were schutzenfests in early Germany and Swizterland areas, with some wooden plaques awarded. I've seen some pictures on the internet. Other than that, I might suggest English records, when the caviler and matchlock, along with the aristocracy's wheel locks were becoming the rage of modern armies, about Henry the VIII's reign.

Hi, amrmoredman some correction, wheel locks were never used by an army. They were simply too expensive to make. They were used almost exclusively used by nobility for hunting.

I do have some records about range, penetration, rounds per minute fired and target sizes.
As time permits, I shall share what I have.

Schuetzenfests came later when citizen of free cities had to practise shooting to defend themselfs against rogue, impoverished knights. Being a neccessity initially, shooting sports developed from that.

Regards

Winfried

 

[JohnBT]

Not all that early, but an interesting article on the Creedmoor range in NY in 1873.

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2010/04/history-story-of-creedmoor.html

"Each man was to fire fifteen shots at 800 yards, as many at 900, and as many more at 1,000 yards, "

"Irish marksmen, panting for new laurels, having beaten England and Scotland, wanted to be champions of the world. So they sent over to America a polite invitation for the Yankees to meet them in a friendly match to decide the championship of the world."