.45-70 as artillery...

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Tue May 27, 2008 4:04 pm

http://home.earthlink.net/~sharpsshtr/C ... yHook.html

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 27, 2008 4:08 pm

Look out Bubba ....... it's rainin lead! Ouch, oh that smarts, ooooo, owe,

Joe

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Tue May 27, 2008 4:45 pm

J Miller wrote:Look out Bubba ....... it's rainin lead! Ouch, oh that smarts, ooooo, owe, Joe

The article discusses how that "rain" penetrated 3, 1" planks on the descent then buried themselves 8" in the sand.

Methinks that would do more than sting...

While these tests may be considered mere oddities today, they proved extremely useful at the time. The fact that the 500-grain bullet penetrated through the three-plank target and eight inches into sand meant that it could kill or wound enemy troops at extreme distances, even if they were partially protected and that was significant military information in a period when it was quite usual for large masses of troops to form up within view of defenders. Although no average infantryman could be expected to equal Mr. Hare's accuracy, a large number of defenders shooting from barricade rests and given the proper sight adjustments for the range could severely harass companies and larger bodies of enemy troops at previously unheard-of ranges. It may have been these tests, and this line of thinking, that caused military theoreticians to employ machine guns for indirect, high trajectory fire in the same manner as artillery during the earlier stages of World War I.

crs · Post by **crs** » Tue May 27, 2008 5:04 pm

Cool post,thanks.

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Tue May 27, 2008 6:19 pm

I think one of the SMLE's had a volley sight on the side. Really cool.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:30 pm

J Miller wrote: rainin lead!

"Rainin' lead". You're killing me Joe!

horsesoldier03 · Post by **horsesoldier03** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:36 pm

You dont hear about it as much anymore, but the military used to train soldiers in volume fire at an area target. One of the best movies I have ever seen showing this technique (cant remember the name) had a band of indians that were assembled in a large group that would shoot a volume of arrows at a ridicuous distance. They were hitting the cowboys that had assembled themselves in a small depression for defense.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:49 pm

OI,

I was so busy looking at the charts I missed the link and didn't read it. Ooops

.

Note: Ummm, I don't think I'd like to be out there with a catchers mit. Them would smart!

Joe

awp101 · Post by **awp101** » Tue May 27, 2008 10:01 pm

Machine gunners call that area the "beaten zone".

The idea is to find an area where the enemy would naturally congregate (or funnel them there) such as the reverse slope of a hill, ravine etc. When they arrive start dropping fire in to keep them pinned or thin them out while the arty/CAS/armor/inf, etc work them over.

Yep, the MK I SMLE's had volley sights (as well as the 03 Springfield IIRC) to do the same thing in the days before MG's were assigned to smaller than BN level units.

I wish my two SMLE's still had them...

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Tue May 27, 2008 10:04 pm

Andrew wrote:I think one of the SMLE's had a volley sight on the side. Really cool.

Found it...