Black Powder, White Smoke

Pedersoli Products, Color Casehardening, Sharpshooters, Whitworths

By Joe Bilby · Originally published January 2018 · p. 6

Pedersoli Scores

A Youtube video of interest to black powder shooters, particularly those of an “originalist” bent, would be the demonstration of Pedersoli’s new “Gibbs Short Range Rifle.” Based on the famed British mid-19th century muzzle-loading target rifle, a long-range arm already reproduced by Pedersoli, this version is designed to appeal to the modern traditional target shooter whose shooting is mostly in the 100 to 150 yard range. Pedersoli reports that the “specific twist and the broached rifling provide bullet stabilization at the shorter distance, ensuring hitting the target with very good accuracy.” For more details, see the explanatory video: h t t p s : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=rsCI_0s2TLk

Pedersoli has announced that the company’s firearms have won a total of thirty-three awards in the 2017 International European Muzzleloading Championship matches held at Granada, Spain. They include ten gold, eleven silver, and twelve bronze medals.

Color Casehardening How-to My friend Gary Yee, a museum curator, firearms student, Civil War Round Table officer, author, and gunsmith, reports that there is a new book out on the ancient art of color casehardening as a firearm finish – John A. Seim’s Colour Case Hardening of Firearms – Principles and Practices. Color casehardening created a beautiful multicolored finish on 19th century arms parts, most notably the frames of Colt single action revolvers, both percussion and metallic cartridge models, as well as the actions of classic shotguns, like the Parker and L.C. Smith. Gary, who received an advance copy of Mr. Seim’s work, advised me that the author has experimented for years with color case hardening and has twice taught a course on the technique at Trinidad Colorado State College’s Summer Gunsmithing School. Gary reported that Seim’s book “is much more scientific in its approach that what I’ve read in Steele & Harrison’s classic work, Gunsmithing.” He added that “the book has plenty of color images and the text is very readable and easy to absorb. It is spiral bound so it lays flat on the workbench.” Colour Case Hardening of Firearms should prove invaluable to the amateur and professional traditional gunsmith, especially those interested in classic techniques, and should be available at Amazon.com as of this writing. https://www.amazon.com/Colour-Case-Hardening-Firearms-Principles-Practices/dp/1775018008/ ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1508080815&sr=1-1&keywords=Color+Case+Hardening

Sharpshooters: Marksmen through the Ages

Gary has a new work of his own out as well, and, by way of full disclosure, I was a member of the Company of Military Historians Review Board that initially classified his previous book Sharpshooters 1750–1900 as a “standard reference” for the subject in American military history. I have neither seen nor heard anything since to dissuade me from that conclusion. That is how I came to know Gary. Sharpshooters 1750–1900 is indeed a must have book for any student of American military history – as well as any serious student of the Civil War. Gary’s latest book is Sharpshooters: Marksmen through the Ages and is part of the Casemate Publishing “Short History” series. The Casemate series is intended to provide a “readable and entertaining introductions to military history topics.” The book is essentially a condensation of Sharpshooters 1750–1900 but with new material on World Wars I and II. It comes in a handy paperback large pocket-sized form for carrying around on battlefield tours. I have not yet read it, but based on my previous experience with Gary’s work, it is no doubt a winner.

MAAC Annual Historic Arms Program Bill Adams advises me that the Massachusetts Antique Arms Collectors (MAAC) held their annual historic arms shooting event in August 2017. Bill noted that: “The average gun collector has a lot of guns, but little or no experience with shooting them. The program allows not only the collectors, but their wives and kids, to fire historic arms and learn how they actually operated” under expert supervision and instruction. Bill, one of the main organizers of the program, advises that he has invited some Civil War Round Table members to next year’s event. I would heartily recommend that Round Table members take him up on the invitation, as this is a great event. The arms used at the event included an original Remington “Zouave” rifle, a Hall carbine, a trapdoor Springfield, a percussion shotgun, an 1873 Colt, and a Burnside carbine. Bill noted that “It’s always interesting to see the reaction when collectors first experience how to load with paper cartridges and feel the recoil when the weapons are fired. I bring lightly loaded ammo for most shooters, but allow some shooters to fire service charges.”

Perspectives on the Whitworth On

July

15,

1861, the

Philadelphia Inquirer, citing the number of British and French marksmanship prizes the Whitworth rifle had won in the previous several years, saw the gun as “evidently about to drive the Enfield or Springfield weapons out of the field.” The paper, noting that “the Springfield rifle is comparatively useless beyond 600 yards,” urged the United States government to look into adopting the Whitworth as an infantry arm, noting that the high cost of the rifle would be lowered to one equivalent to the Springfield once American mass production techniques were applied. Needless to say, that never happened, for a number of reasons, but on Aug. 7, 1864, a reporter for the New York Times, whose knowledge of firearms was, to be kind, less than comprehensive, commented that: “some correspondents with Sherman’s army have told wonderful stories of a Whitworth rifle, whose range was unheard of and its accuracy in proportion, which the Rebel sharpshooters were supplied with at a cost of $1,500 a piece [sic]. We believe the rifle turned out to be a myth.” Joseph G. Bilby received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall University and served as a lieutenant in the 1st Infantry Division in 1966-1967. He is Assistant Curator of the New Jersey National Guard and Militia Museum, a freelance writer and historical consultant and author or editor of 21 books and over 400 articles on NJ and military history and firearms, and as publications editor for the NJ Civil War 150 Committee edited the award winning New Jersey Goes to War. His latest book, New Jersey: A Military History, was published by Westholme Publishing in 2017. He has received an award for contributions to Monmouth County (NJ) history and an Award of Merit from the NJ Historical Commission for contributions to the state’s military history. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]