Confederate Sharpshooting

[Stiles/Akin]

 

[Booner]

The first rifle he showed, the one made by Thompson, looks like the main spring at one time slipped off the tumbler and chiped out a piece of the lock mortice.

Nice video, thanks for posting.

 

[AUG]

I'm not so sure about those "sharpshooter glasses" he mentions.

The following from the last couple pages of this article on period eyewear:
https://www.historiceyewearcompany.com/files/HOYFrevisedMcBrayer.pdf

"… there are large numbers of an unusual type of spectacles sold as "Civil War shooting spectacles" or "sharpshooter glasses" on the antique market – indeed, probably more than the total number of sharpshooters in the War. Extensive searching in newspaper advertisements, optician books and publications, the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, sharpshooter and regimental histories, and many other books, documents and other sources during the last fifteen years have failed to establish the use of this style of glasses by soldiers during or before the Civil War. An inquiry made to the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Centre at the Army War College asked the curators to search their records – no evidence of Civil War use of shooting spectacles could be found."​

 

[johan_steele]

I have an acquaintance who is an optometrist and a collector of spectacles ( he was able to positively date mine ) and I recall discussing the subject of sharpshooter glasses. He called it so much moonshine, though he was quite a lot less polite.

 

[UCVRelics]

Very Informative vid Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

I too saw that and recognized it for the quaint legend that it is, but didn't want to start another controversy. Along with that is his reference to the half-stock target rifle being described as a "Morgan type", which it is not by any stretch of the imagination. I feel he should have also noted that the brass tube scope on it was a modern Tasco scope and mounts, which that particular rifle never had.
J.

 

[ikesdad]

Tasco makes those vintage type scopes now ?

 

[johan_steele]

Tasco makes those vintage type scopes now ?

They call it a "1860 Replica" or a "1903 Replica" a 4 power comes with mounting rings and IMO destroys the value of that rifle. It's what's in the video.

Dixie gunworks sells them or used to.

 

[Gibbs]

They call it a "1860 Replica" or a "1903 Replica" a 4 power comes with mounting rings and IMO destroys the value of that rifle. It's what's in the video.

Dixie gunworks sells them or used to.

Didn't the Outlaw Jose Wales use one of those long scopes for a "Missouri" boat ride??

 

[johan_steele]

Didn't the Outlaw Jose Wales use one of those long scopes for a "Missouri" boat ride??

Movie... nuff said.

 

[ikesdad]

Tasco does not make the vintage "type" anymore but Hilux is making the Malcolm repros.