Trivia 1-26-17 True or False

[Trivia Master]

True or False?

During the Civil War, the Whitworth Rifle was considered in its class to be the most accurate long range gun; its bore and projectile had a unique shape; and it was a favorite among Confederate sharpshooters.

credit: @chellers

 

[ErnieMac]

True.

 

[MRB1863]

True

 

[kholland]

True

The Whitworth was the most accurate long-range rifle of the Civil War. With an open sight and firing from a fixed rest or the prone position, the shooter could place his shots in a twelve-inch diameter circle at 500 yards. With the 14 1/2 " telescopic sight mounted on the left of the stock, the rifle had a killing range of 1500-1800 yards, or about a mile. We all know the story of Union general John Sedgwick, killed at Spotsylvania when shot in the head by a bullet fired from a Whitworth rifle 800 yards distant.

http://clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/articles/means/sharpshooter.htm

 

[JohnW.]

The answer is true. It has hexagonal polygonal rifling and has an effective range of 800- 1,000 yards with a 1,500 yard max...If I was a sharpshooter in either army it would certainly be my favorite

Edit - Answer revised in subsequent post.

Hoosier

 

[DBF]

True. This article also mentions that the shape of the Whitworth bullets when fired: caused them to make a very distinctive whistling sound when they passed through the air; a sound that was, by then, feared in the Union ranks, and states that it was what killed General Sedgwick.
http://www.americancivilwarstory.com/whitworth-rifle.html

 

[MajGenl.Meade]

Yes, it is true.

http://www.americancivilwarstory.com/whitworth-rifle.html.

 

[Study the Past]

Tralse....cover both areas

 

[Reb]

That would be an accurate statement. True.

 

[FarawayFriend]

"Within 500 yds. the Enfield and Whitworth were considered equals—past that range, the Whitworth excelled"
"his unique, smallbore (.451), hexagonal-bored longarm, with a pitch of one turn in 20", fired a proprietary 530-gr., six-sided projectile that fit mechanically within the grooves.
"Whitworths were prized sharpshooter arms during the Civil War,"
"Whitworth rifles had been eagerly accepted by target shooters"

I'm no expert, but from all the arguments given above, coming from the site quoted below, I'd say the answer has to be: True.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/12/8/i-have-this-old-gun-whitworth-rifle/

 

[Brenal]

True.


" His solution was to create a hexagonal barrel and and a hexagonal bullet to match . This allowed the bullet to fit snugly into a smooth, un-grooved barrel, greatly reducing friction.

At the same time, the hexagonal shape of the barrel was twisted, or rifled, at a rate of one turn in twenty inches. This was more than three times tighter than the rifling of the Enfield rifle.

Thanks to the fact that the rifling in no way cut into the bullet, the Whitworth rifle was able to fire its rounds at higher velocity than the Enfield rifle, despite having the much tighter rifling. The combination of tight rifling and high velocity made the Whitworth the most accurate rifle of its day."

"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."

source:http://www.americancivilwarstory.com/whitworth-rifle.html#gallery[pageGallery]/0/

 

[Copperhead-mi]

True

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

True. It also appears to have had quite a kick, and one of the distinguishing marks of its frequent users was a black eye from the scope!

 

[adisciu9]

True.
It is credited with killing General Sedgwick.
It was also favored by Union sharpshooters along with the Sharps.

 

[JohnDLittlefield]

True... although sharpshooters represented a limited number of soldiers, so the number of Whitworth's were limited... presumably due to expense.

 

[JohnW.]

I'm probably cutting my own throat by doing this, but.......Based on new info I'm changing my answer to FALSE. Final answer.

Enfield P 56/58/60 Rifle
Enfield also produced several shorter versions of its P53 rifle-musket. All had 33-inch barrels and an overall length of 48½ inches and were often called "two-band" Enfields after the number of bands securing the barrel. The Pattern 56 and 58 rifles had a light three-groove barrel, while the Pattern 60 Army rifle and the Pattern 58 Navy rifle both featured a heavier five-groove barrel with progressive depth rifling and a faster 1:48 twist, giving them superior accuracy.

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."

This particular P60 Enfield belonged to Berry Benson, a sharpshooter with McGowan's South Carolina brigade. (courtesy Augusta Museum of History)

Edit - The question asked whether it was true or false that the Whitworth was "a" favorite, not necessarily "the" favorite of all or even most Confederate sharpshooters. Some liked the Enfield, but, as other sources indicate, those who were able to get their hands on a Whitworth considered it a favorite of theirs.

Hoosier

 

[SonnyP]

True or False?

During the Civil War, the Whitworth Rifle was considered in its class to be the most accurate long range gun; its bore and projectile had a unique shape; and it was a favorite among Confederate sharpshooters.

credit: @chellers

Edit - Sorry, SonnyP, your answer is not visible.

Hoosier

 

[Mike Serpa]

True.

 

[Stony]

true

 

[UCVRelics]

True