[QUOTE=brownie55]
The other quibble is listing the 1853 Enfield. There has never been a rifle more uncomfortable to shoot, and yes, I have fired originals. The 1855 Harpers Ferry is so much better in ergonomics that there is no comparison. The sight picture is so easy to pick up that you might hit something, with the Enfield you’d never get lucky, and more than five shots hurts your back and neck.
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Even so, the 1853 Enfield was used by the entire British Empire, as well as both Nepal and the Confederate States of America. And when the British Empire needed cartridge-firing arms, the Enfield 1853 was (extremely) successfully converted to the Snider-Enfield, which remained in service until around the time of the Boer War- hence it’s inclusion at the No. 10 spot, instead of one of the other relatively obscure (to Non-US Civil War enthusiasts) muzzleloading rifles.
[QUOTE=brownie55]
No links to earlier posts, but the Spencer was mentioned. I’d substitute the Henry Rifle. The action was more reliable, and it lead to what may be the most famous rifle ever, the lever action Winchester. The loading was different, but the lineage is undeniable.
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Yeah, I remembered that the Henry saw service after I’d already mentioned the Spencer. The Henry was called “that damned Yankee rifle that was loaded on Sunday and fired all week.”
I would, without hesitation, bet my life on my Winchester mdl 94 before and above anything else I own, but I don’t think of it as a “battle rifle”. My bad - I feel shame
That’s the way I feel about my Garand. Yes, the sonuvabitch is heavy, but with the smaller sights I snapped on it, I can blow the balls off a housefly at goodly yardages, and ruin someone’s day from far, far away. Couple that with adequate capacity, ease of reloading, potent caliber, and I have the whole enchilada.
