Trivia 1-26-17 True or False

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This one is tricky for a true or false question. There is conflicting statements out there on Whitworth's.

But my final answer is True.

Most of the material I read totally confirms it's long range accuracy and it's bore and bullet was quite unique.
The favorite part is what I question. My True answer is based on this statement.

But the weapon that was most favored by the Confederates, and the best sniper rifle of the war, was the British-made Whitworth. Designed in 1850, the Whitworth was a unique solution to a problem that plagued all rifled guns of the time: as the bullet went down the barrel, the rifling grooves cut into the lead, imparting its spin but also measurably slowing the bullet down and reducing its range. Whitworth therefore designed his rifle with a barrel that was hexagonal in cross section--then designed his own special .45-caliber bullet that was also hexagonal and nestled snugly inside the barrel. This ingenious arrangement allowed him to add tighter rifling of one full turn every twenty inches, giving the bullet a greater spin than other barrels of the same length, and at greater speed. The Whitworth rifle was unmatched by any other gun in the world for accuracy and range. With iron sights it was accurate to at least 800 yards; with telescopic sights it was deadly at ranges of over a mile.

Source. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/30/1573810/-Snipers-in-the-Civil-War

Also I have heard of the Whitworth Sharpshooters.

The Confederate government, purchased a limited number of Whitworth rifles during the Civil War. These weapons were given to the very best marksmen in the Confederate Army. This select group of men were referred to as Whitworth Sharpshooters, thus were born the first modern sniper units.


But there weren't many of them out there and with so little numbers could they be such a favorite?


Whitworth's were terribly expensive rifles. Therefore few rifles were in the hands of the Confederates. I don't know how 36-72 rifles could be considered a favorite because of the limited number of them. Thus my difficult decision to go with a true answer. Plus several statements are out there about their large firing kick and slow loading times and the need for frequent cleanings.

The Whitworth too was fired with a percussion cap. Its disadvantage was that it was a muzzle-loader, hence slow to load, and like all muzzle-loaders, needed cleaning every few rounds. But its outstanding accuracy made it worth the trouble. It was usually issued only to top marksmen in the Confederate army corps.

Most of the men in the Army of Northern Virginia's sharpshooter battalions used Enfields, and only one or two men per battalion carried Whitworths. Thus in the approximately thirty-six infantry brigades of the Army of Northern Virginia, there were most likely between thirty-six and seventy-two of these rifles in service. Although some claims of its accuracy are no doubt exaggerated, the fact remains that the Whitworth could and did strike at a thousand yards and beyond. "The claim of 'fatal results at 1,500 yards,'" concluded one modern expert, "was no foolish boast." Overall, it was a deadly weapon that, in the right hands, repaid its high cost many times over. "I do not believe a harder-shooting, harder-kicking, longer-range gun was ever made than the Whitworth rifle," asserted sharpshooter veteran Isaac Shannon. (courtesy West Point Museum)


How's that for answering a simple True or false question.
 
This question could arguably and correctly be answered in a couple of ways. I'm going to say true only due to the wording of this question calling out a special bullet. Whitworth used a hexagonal bullet and barrel and was extremely accurate, but the quanity of them was very limited. So if I were a C.S. A. sharpshooter with one, then yes it would be a favorite.
The Enfield P60 used the standard .577 bullet.The two-band Enfield quickly became the "top choice" for Confederate sharpshooters. "Every short Enfield which came into possession of any of our men was taken away and given to these men," said a Georgian in Gordon's brigade, "but there were not enough, and some of them had the common long Enfield. Both kinds had a long range and were very effective. The short guns were given them, as they were lighter and handier."
Source: http://www.cfspress.com/sharpshooters/arms.html
There was also the Kerr rifle which was used by sharpshooters, again in limited supply. This also used the Whitworth bullet.
 
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