kBob
Member
Dixie has long offered a .451 rifle looking a lot like a Whitworth but with enfield style rifling that is referred to as a Volunteer Rifle.
Appearently during the saber rattling between the US and UK over the north west in 1858 and 1859. Companies of British Volunteers were popping up much aws such companies popped up in the US in 1860.
The UK military only offered these companies some of the first production 1853 Enfields that had been withdrawn from service because of wear and or abuse. As a result the companies and individuals sought rifles among UK civilian manufacturers.
Now to read the ad copy on the modern repros the success of the .451 rifles on the target ranges made the demand for rifles of that caliber. I recently ran across a book that made mention of the Volunteers that stated that the rifles wer overwhelmingly .577 and close copies of the '53 and '58 Enfields, included were illustrations of a Greener '58 style Volunteer rifles in
.577 which had some of the stock checkering found on the Whitworth.
At any rate I was wondering if anyone had information about Volunteer Rifles being purchased by the US or CSA for use in the War Between the States? Were any of these rifles used as sharpshooters rifles? In either caliber?
Gary? Anyone?
Anyone have a resonable SWAG on the number of Volunteers produced in 1858-59?
Any one know of producers other than Greener?
-kBob
Appearently during the saber rattling between the US and UK over the north west in 1858 and 1859. Companies of British Volunteers were popping up much aws such companies popped up in the US in 1860.
The UK military only offered these companies some of the first production 1853 Enfields that had been withdrawn from service because of wear and or abuse. As a result the companies and individuals sought rifles among UK civilian manufacturers.
Now to read the ad copy on the modern repros the success of the .451 rifles on the target ranges made the demand for rifles of that caliber. I recently ran across a book that made mention of the Volunteers that stated that the rifles wer overwhelmingly .577 and close copies of the '53 and '58 Enfields, included were illustrations of a Greener '58 style Volunteer rifles in
.577 which had some of the stock checkering found on the Whitworth.
At any rate I was wondering if anyone had information about Volunteer Rifles being purchased by the US or CSA for use in the War Between the States? Were any of these rifles used as sharpshooters rifles? In either caliber?
Gary? Anyone?
Anyone have a resonable SWAG on the number of Volunteers produced in 1858-59?
Any one know of producers other than Greener?
-kBob