kBob
Member
SO this current discussion of patches got me thinking (oh! No! Not again!) In my historical digging about I seem to recall that folks using the US 1841 Jaeger Rifle AKA Mississippi Rifle in the US Army used prepatched balls. The rifles were made to shoot a patched ball as this was before the Minie rifles and the rifling construction and twist being made for patched round ball is what made the 1841 not function well with attempts to make a Minie bullet for it. That is as the 1841 required a patched ball they carried balls in one pouch and paper cartridges of powder only in another in some cases.
The balls were sewn into a patch so there was no fumbling about for a seperate patch or cutting off any excess. I seem to recall the patches were cut to somethig of a lobed cross or clover shape the ball set in the center and the ends drawn up and given a single stitch or two to hold the arms together. Then the whole thing was lubed.
I also read somewhere that as the rifle had a fixed rear sight that besides playing with Kentucky Windage (or range elevation in this case) that two or more different loads of powder were carried by some troops to give a zero at different ranges.
1. Anyone else ever run across this for I do not have references just seem to recall it, and
2. Anyone have instructions for doing this and
3. anyone done this and what sort of results did you get?
-kBob
The balls were sewn into a patch so there was no fumbling about for a seperate patch or cutting off any excess. I seem to recall the patches were cut to somethig of a lobed cross or clover shape the ball set in the center and the ends drawn up and given a single stitch or two to hold the arms together. Then the whole thing was lubed.
I also read somewhere that as the rifle had a fixed rear sight that besides playing with Kentucky Windage (or range elevation in this case) that two or more different loads of powder were carried by some troops to give a zero at different ranges.
1. Anyone else ever run across this for I do not have references just seem to recall it, and
2. Anyone have instructions for doing this and
3. anyone done this and what sort of results did you get?
-kBob
