Chiappa is just fine :)

[Stantheman86]

Took my new Chiappa/Armi Sport CS Richmond 3-bander out today with a cartridge box full of 1863 pattern cartridges plus a few extra, 45 rounds total. .575 sized Minies lubed with SPG. All of them went down easy, no wiping. I could probably go to .577s but these did well and load easy.

Doesn't seem like a lot but 40 rounds is the perfect amount for a quick hour and a half of leisurely shooting.

The rifle hit over 2 feet high at 100 yards but that's to be expected. Once I learned how low to hold I was smacking steel. Every shot went off instantly, no hang fires, no "pop no bangs". The factory nipple works well so I'm going to stay with it for now, maybe get a few extras.

Its impossible to get groups on paper when you're aiming nearly at the dirt but these are repros of Infantry rifles made for killing men , not bench rest shooting. I managed to pepper a silhouette with 15 or so shots , I'm sure the rifle is capable of excellent accuracy but it's the best I can do with it at this time some self resetting Pepper Poppers would be awesome for shooting rifles like this.

 

[Stony Broke]

It always seemed a little frustrating to me, trying to hit targets with a rifle that shoots that high..and sometimes off to one side some. I've owned a few similar ones, and just quit shooting them anymore.

 

[TFoley]

Took my new Chiappa/Armi Sport CS Richmond 3-bander out today with a cartridge box full of 1863 pattern cartridges plus a few extra, 45 rounds total.

I like your accoutrements - where did they come from, please?

 

[Stantheman86]

T Foley I got them from "Man the Line" , he has an online store but sells on Ebay.

The cartridge box , cap pouch and belt are the low priced made in India or Pakistan stuff, the cartridge box was only $50 but hit it with some Leather New conditioning oil and it's actually very good quality , well made stuff. It just arrives stiff and kinda dry. The plate and belt buckle are repro stuff , I think made in the US but I don't know. I got them from S&S firearms in New York.

I put the US stuff on upside down to recreate Confederate captured gear, since the rifle is a CS Richmond. I had this gear laying around unused for a year and finally have a correct rifle to use it with.

I just can't justify buying one of those $200 JD Carnegin or other made in USA "campaigner quality" cartridge boxes just for beating up at the range or maybe taking part in 1 or 2 Living History events where no one really cares where your gear came from.

 

[Stantheman86]

It always seemed a little frustrating to me, trying to hit targets with a rifle that shoots that high..and sometimes off to one side some. I've owned a few similar ones, and just quit shooting them anymore.

I think mine hits a little to the right, I can't tell. I was smacking the right side of the paper silhouette but at that point I was 30ish rounds in by the time I found out how low to hold and the recoil was starting to take a toll so I might have been flinching, and I usually flinch to the right.

I figure these were originally designed to shoot at company sized elements and the rifling/ Minie ball was more to extend the range of the bullet, increasing accuracy was secondary . So the sights were fixed and coarse because drawing a fine bead on a single man wasn't the intent.

People who are into shooting with an interest in these repro muskets like the Springfield , usually see the 1-3-5 sight and think that's where the bullet is going to go, but I tell them, the 100 yard sight is "zeroed" for soldiers to aim roughly at the belt of opposing soldiers and the 100 is a "battle zero" allowing for a hit, somewhere, on a man sized target. What did they call it "hoof to graze" meaning a hit from the feet to the head was good enough.

It's frustrating for fun at the range because you feel like you're just pointing at the feet of the target and letting it fly.

The sight picture looks like a rounded silver nub inside a big , coarse notch , but it's what they worked with back in the day so it comes through over into the repros.

 

[EC121]

The military rifle sights are set for a battle distance of about 250yds. I had a trapdoor that shot high like that. I finally looked it up and found out why. The book said trapdoors are set to zero at 263yds. Don't know why the odd distance, but anything closer shoots really high. Using the front sight for a bayonet lug doesn't help any.

 

[Zonie]

Just as a subtle reminder to our members:

We don't talk about shooting cartridge guns on the forum.

Using a cartridge gun as a reference point is ok but going further than that isn't.

 

[EC121]

If I hurt your feelings, feel free to delete my post. I was trying to explain why muzzleloading military rifles in general shoot high. That rifle just happened to be the one I looked up to find out why.

 

[Rat]

I think we all know why military rifle-muskets shoot high, but the statement that they were not meant to aim at individual soldiers is mistaken. The belt-buckle was the aiming point, giving the rifle a longer point blank range. A taller front sight is a very easy fix.

 

[Stantheman86]

The "unmentionable " we used in WWI also had an odd battle sight zero , I forget the exact number. I used to know this stuff back when I collected them.

The belt as an aiming point I believe continued through WWI also.

Military rifles seem to universally hit high , at least up until the "modern" era. It's just a way to "grunt proof" them so a conscript or less than experienced soldier can point the weapon and hit a man, at realistic combat distances without having to be trusted to manipulate rear sights. I think the British were the first army to really stress "marking" individual targets and shooting for range. As well as being masters of the Musket Drill.

A higher front sight is a job any competent gunsmith should be able to do while you wait, if you don't have the ability to solder.