Pilsner Posted May 15, 2011 Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) ".50 caliber rifle" means almost nothing. Most of the period rifles were in the .50-.60 caliber range. Most accurate was the Sharps rifle (.52, I think)...but if he were a Confederate, he'd more likely use a Whitworth. I'm not sure if it was a Whitworth or a variant. Hinson had his custom made if I recall correctly. I have a biography on him and will have to get started on it to find out what rifle he used. DC Tom you are a wealth of knowledge as are many here on this board. Edited May 15, 2011 by Pilsner
Jim in Anchorage Posted May 15, 2011 Posted May 15, 2011 I'm not sure if it was a Whitworth or a variant. Hinson had his custom made if I recall correctly. I have a biography on him and will have to get started on it to find out what rifle he used. DC Tom you are a wealth of knowledge as are many here on this board. Pretty near any gun made in the south during the war would qualify as custom. Anyone with a barrel lathe was providing arms to the CSA and they could be quite crude, mostly copies of northern arms. For someone living in the south during the war to order, and actually receive a custom made foreign gun would be quite a feat. A modified[sights, barrel] northern capture rifle would be most likely.
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