Minshall, David
Description
Research Press Digest features newly written articles and reprints of scarce 19th and early 20th century texts relating to firearms, long range target
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shooting and military history. Key subjects covered in this volume are the British Volunteer Movement and musketry instruction. W.H. Blanch’s pamphlet of 1900 presents an informed and critical review of the Volunteer Movement from its earliest days. Viscount Bury’s comprehensive report on his attendance of a course of instruction at the Hythe School of Musketry in 1860 is supplemented by musketry instructor Arthur Walker’s paper on ‘Rifle Trajectories and Rifles.’ Joseph Whitworth’s letter of 1870 follows on Walker’s theme and appeals against arming troops with short-range rifles. ‘Wimbledon and the Volunteers’ present an overview of Volunteer activity while competing in the NRA(UK) annual rifle meeting; there were serious aims for some, but the humours of camp life and entertainment also feature. A 1903 official British pamphlet provides a comparison of the Lee-Enfield and foreign rifles, whilst a technical article of 1891 discusses the Magazine Rifle Mark 1 (Lee-Metford). The significant advance in small arms through the second half of the 19th century is highlighted by ‘Field Practices on Classification Ranges’ of 1914. Footnotes and illustrations from the editor’s collection supplement the original articles and provide historical context. The reprints have been freshly typeset.
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