How long?

[Hobie]

Hunter on horseback aiming rifle. ca. 1890

[Modoc ED]

Makes ya wonder whether that horse was standing that still after the shot.

[TedH]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

[Buck Elliott]

You can shoot off ANY horse ----------------- ONCE

[Modoc ED]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Doubtful -- more like a photo ID number.

[mescalero1]

I did it ..............ONCE

[piller]

Since it has been more than a few years since I rode a hay burner, I don't think that I'll try that any time soon. Looks like a well trained horse, though.

[Doc Hudson]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

[Doc Hudson]

Hobie,

Did your entire question read:

"How long did that fellow stay in the saddle after shooting right over that horse's ears?"

[Pisgah]

By golly, that nag looks just about asleep. I wonder about the awakening...

[Nath]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

How tall are you Doc

N

[Doc Hudson]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

How tall are you Doc

N

I'm 6 feet 3 inches Nath and I have a 30-inch step.
3042 x 2.5 feet = 7605 feet divide by 3 = 2535 yards.

I don't know how it is done in Britain, but here in the states a 30-inch step is the standard pounded into every recruit attending basic training and for every marching band in the country.

The only reason I added the mor or less was to taake into account longer or shorter stride.

[Chas.]

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.
The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

Such a shot as what? Nothing says he hit anything.

[TedH]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Doubtful -- more like a photo ID number.

Ummm......that was supposed to be a joke.

[Nath]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

How tall are you Doc

N

I'm feet 3 inches Nath and I have a 30-inch step.
3042 x 2.5 feet = 7605 feet divide by 3 = 2535 yards.

I don't know how it is done in Britain, but here in the states a 30-inch step is the standard pounded into every recruit attending basic training and for every marching band in the country.

The only reason I added the mor or less was to taake into account longer or shorter stride.

Ah but, what if ya hop and skip some on the way?
Climb a hill go down a hill, trip over a mole hill or go around a bush, it's not a parade ground out there!

I'm pulling your leg

Nath.

[Gobblerforge]

Man, don't you guys recognize informational notations? The photo is of the shooter, taking a long shot, with his new 30-42 Winchester. It was a test caliber that never did catch on.
Gobbler

[Buck Elliott]

I still ain't rightly made out what kinda gun he's shootin'... Looks sorta familiar, but not pure-dee completely

[alnitak]

If you check out the picture in Hobie's other thread ("goat"...but shouldn't that be 'lope??), you'll see the picture has number 3047. I guess photos were rare enough in 1890 that they numbered each one consecutively. This one is only five removed from the other picture. Also, given the caption on the other picture, I think "Long Shot" was just made as a title, like, "He's setting himself in to take a long shot with the rifle." Could be anything over, e.g., 100 yards.

[fatoldfool]

Maybe I am looking crooked but the rifle looks like a Maynard to me. As to the horse, you may not train every horse to stand for a shot, but you sure can train some of them. The craziest horse I had would stand for you to shoot a .22 pistol off his back, and do nothing but jerk his head a little. But then part of his training included pulling a broke up aluminum ladder through limestone outcrops with a rope. When I was in my teens we had a horse that had been trained in logging camps. You could fell a tree beside him and he wouldn't move. He didn't mind shooting either. The opposite was a big white horse that would go out from under you when he heard a trace chain rattle. I wanted to shoot him.

[Doc Hudson]

How tall are you Doc

N

I'm feet 3 inches Nath and I have a 30-inch step.
3042 x 2.5 feet = 7605 feet divide by 3 = 2535 yards.

I don't know how it is done in Britain, but here in the states a 30-inch step is the standard pounded into every recruit attending basic training and for every marching band in the country.

The only reason I added the mor or less was to taake into account longer or shorter stride.

Ah but, what if ya hop and skip some on the way?
Climb a hill go down a hill, trip over a mole hill or go around a bush, it's not a parade ground out there!

I'm pulling your leg

Nath.

That's why I threw in the +/-!

Besides i figure those long downhill trotting strides would counter-balance those short little uphill steps.

Besides, we all know that ranges are measured uphill and downhill, not straight across the valley in a straight line. it sounds better that way
Bubba said:

i shot a deer last year that dropped dead in his tracks, I stepped it off as 500 paces.

Bubba never mentions that 150 of those paces were straight down into a deepgully, 75 were across the bottom of the gully, and 450 of those "paces" were up the other side of the gully.

See, "over 500 paces" sounds better than saying "about 80, 90 yards."

[76/444]

You can shoot off ANY horse ----------------- ONCE

My main ride starts acting up when he hears it cock.

And that mount is hardly asleep,... the ears tell all!

[C. Cash]

I still ain't rightly made out what kinda gun he's shootin'... Looks sorta familiar, but not pure-dee completely

Stevens? Highwall? Spencer Rifle?

It looks like his saddle was placed a bit too far back off the withers?

[Birdman]

I'd say he posed but has no plans to shoot. The man and the horse look like the real deal so I figure he's got too much common sense to pull that trigger.

[Travis Morgan]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

You've never heard of Adobe Walls, I take it?

[Doc Hudson]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

You've never heard of Adobe Walls, I take it?

That feller ain't Billy Dixon and that rifle ain't a Sharps Buffalo Gun.

And 2500 yards is right about 1,000 yards further than Billy Dixon shot that Comanche!

yep, i've heard of Adobe Walls, Billy Dixon and the Friends of Billy Dixon Long Range Shoot.

[Travis Morgan]

According to the caption on the photo, 3042 paces.

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

The 3042 must be either the photo number or the date.

You've never heard of Adobe Walls, I take it?

That feller ain't Billy Dixon and that rifle ain't a Sharps Buffalo Gun.

And 2500 yards is right about 1,000 yards further than Billy Dixon shot that Comanche!

yep, i've heard of Adobe Walls, Billy Dixon and the Friends of Billy Dixon Long Range Shoot.

You said, "there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.". The lever on his kinda rifle may be a different length, but If Billy could hit an indian that knows he's being shot at, that is trying to get away, I'd wager a critter another 1K away that was standing still drinking could probably be hit.

In any event, it's all conjecture, and I'm just bored.

[Doc Hudson]

You said, "there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.". The lever on his kinda rifle may be a different length, but If Billy could hit an indian that knows he's being shot at, that is trying to get away, I'd wager a critter another 1K away that was standing still drinking could probably be hit.

In any event, it's all conjecture, and I'm just bored.

As i remember the Billy Dixon's famous shot was made at a range later measured 1583 yards. As I also understand it, the shot was made at two Comanche on a butte. The one who was hit was boldly sitting his horse confident that he was way out of rifle range. I've always wondered who was more surprised, the Comanche who got shot or Billy Dixon who pulled the trigger. The rest of his life, Billy Dixon insisted the shot was nothing more than pure luck, good on his side, bad on the Comanche's.

BTW, not long after Adobe Walls, Billy Dixon earned a Congressional Medal of Honor for the part he played in The Buffalo Wallow Fight.

i would dare say that it would take a man with exceptional eyesight to recognize game at a range of 760 yards beyond one mile. Quite frankly these days I'd have trouble seeing the side of a mountain at that range.

As for anyone being able to hit a game animal at that range, I'd have to witness it to believe it. Now if we are talking Bubba-range, as I explained it to Nath we might come to an agreement.

I further submit that any fellow who would make a shot at a game animal, using a lever-gun with open sights at an honest range of 2500 yards is not the kind of hunter I'd care to share a hunting camp with.

OK Travis, now it's your term.

[Travis Morgan]

You didn't say we were limited to iron sights! Since this is all just conjecture, I wasn't too worried about imaginary animals being hurt....

[adirondakjack]

Looks almost like a rolling block to me, but the conventional barrel mounted sight belies anything real far for the shot.

[Doc Hudson]

You didn't say we were limited to iron sights! Since this is all just conjecture, I wasn't too worried about imaginary animals being hurt....

Am I not correct in remembering that the in the photo was iron-sighted?

[Travis Morgan]

You said any; not just the gun in the photo.

[Doc Hudson]

You said any; not just the gun in the photo.

Travis,

What I said was:

Impossible!

That would be about 2500 yards +/-.

Unless he's making a shot at the side of a mountain, there is no way an open-sighted lever gun could make such a shot.

Are we talking about the same thing now?

However I still consider any peson who takes a shot at a game animal at a range of 2500 yards, even with a scoped rifle, is not the kind of hunter I'd want to share a camp with.