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The Small-bore Man

by David Minshall

The finesse of the small-bore rifleman with all his equipment was sometimes the subject of humour, as were shooting positions. No support (including a sling) being permitted for rifle shooting, marksmen strove to find stable positions offering maximum support. The back position, with many variations, became popular for long range shooting. Somewhat impractical for military use it did however offer shooters a stable platform for their rifle. The accompanying cartoons from Punch illustrate some contemporary views as to 'shooting position variations' as does the following affectionate portrait of the 'small-bore man', published in 1867:

"The great shooting reputation which this country has made for itself at very long distances has been made by the men who are known as the "small-bore men," who shoot delicate rifles, not in any way adapted to military purposes, but which are admirably suited for target-shooting. These men usually appear on the firing point with a servant to assist in the multifarious occupations with which they have to prepare for the great trials of brains and skill. For they have to shoot more with their brains, availing themselves of their vast experience, than with their rifles, which will do simply what their masters enable them to do. When a really skilled shot of this kind misses the bull's-eye, or is out of the centre at any rate, he can almost always assign a sufficient reason for his failure. The Servant assists in carrying the precious rifle, the carefully weighed charges of powder, the mechanically fitting bullet and cleaning rod, their Ross, Burrow, or Steward telescope, the all-important waterproof bed on which to lie down, the portable gunsmith's shop, with every variety of instrument that accident may call into use, and, although last, but by no means least, a box containing many sights of many forms patterns and sizes, which these skilled and highly trained men adapt to their rifles under the varying circumstances of wind and light."

BOISTEROUS RELATIVE. "Hullo! Gus, my hearty, why I haven't seen you for ages! How are you? Give us your hand, my ------"
GUS (alarmed). "Hoy! Keep off! Keep back, stand o' one side! Don't come near me ------ How d'e do. Glad 'see you, but keep off at present, will you ------ I've just adjusted my sights!" (Punch, 1 August 1863)

Dizzy: "What position shall you take?" - Hartington: "The easiest!!" - Dizzy: "So shall I!!!" (Punch, 25 July 1875)

How a doubt suddenly occurred to a noted Wimbledon Prize-Winner (who had volunteered for Zululand) as to the advantages of the "back-position" in actual warfare!
(Punch, 30 August 1879)

Firearms development continued apace. By 1870 Whitworth's deeply rifled hexagonal bore and mechanically fitting bullet was being supplanted by the Metford and Rigby rifles, with their shallow groove rifling and hardened lead bullets. These latter rifles dominated in long range shooting for a number of years.

The success of the Americans in international matches at Creedmoor in 1874 and Dollymount in 1875, using breech-loading rifles, marked the beginning of the end for the muzzle loading match rifle. By this time it was also recognised that muzzle-loaders were out of date both for sport and war.

The legacy of this short period of development is a wealth of rifles for the student to study, and a record of long-range accuracy that is a challenge for today's muzzle-loader's to match.

© 2004 DBMinshall

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