Maximum Effective Range

[eldeguello]

Originally posted by Forestwalker
Having shot high-powered rifle competition in my early years, I am still a pretty good shot out to 800 yards with a Garand/M14.

What is the approximate maximum effective range for a .50 cal. rifle. I got a Penn rifle for christmas and love the length of the sighting plane.

I've read history articles from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars about hitting human sized targets at 300 yards, is that really feasible.Thanks Guys

Yes, it is. But there are a couple of characteristics of round-ball rifles that complicate things a lot. One is that they lose velocity very fast, and have little striking energy remaining at 300-400 yards. Yet there is at least one recorded instance of a colonial rifleman during the American Revolution shooting at two British officers on horseback @ 400 yards. The ball passed between them and killed a horse beyond them. So I guess it's a matter of where the ball hits.

Another bad feature is (actually a function of velocity loss also), is that beyond 100 yards or so, the ball drops like a rock, making EXCELLENT RANGE ESTIMATION AND TRAJECTORY knowledge totally indispensable to making a hit on distant targets. In addition, all ML bullets are greatly affected by crosswinds, and round balls are the worst!

During the revolution, there were "wall guns" or "fortress guns" made to be fired from the walls of forts, that shot round balls of 1" or larger, and these could be used effectively by experienced shots out to 500 yards or more against stationary targets like standing horses or wagons.

By the time of the American Civil War, the Minie ball, a conical bullet, had replaced the round ball for muzzleloading infantry rifle ammunition. The Minie was pretty much in universal infantry use by both sides after 1862. These .58 caliber bullets were capable of shooting the majority of their shots into a 3-foot square at 400 yards, and could be used to kill artillery crews out to greater distances than that! Yet, most commanders still insisted in using the linear, massed-formation close-range tactics of the Napolionic era, causing horrendous casualties given the increased range and accuracy of the rifled musket vs a smoothbore.

What is the approximate maximum effective range for a .50 cal. rifle. I got a Penn rifle for christmas and love the length of the sighting plane.

This depends on the twist of your rifling, whether or not you are using round balls or a conical bullet or sabot round, the inherent accuracy of your individual rifle, and the amount of time and energy you devote to learning the trajectory, and on how well you can estimate ranges!

To start, you'd be well advised to limit shots at game animals to 125 yards or less, particularly if shooting a patched round ball. As you gain experience and confidence, you can determine your own answer to this question!!