Range Report: Shooting Competition 12/20/2020

One of the nicest things about the Internet is that you can connect with like-minded people you are never likely to have met any other way.  My friend Nicholas and I discovered a common fascination with and appreciation for cap and ball revolvers of the Nineteenth century, and, both of us being competitive sorts of people, naturally we decided to have a shooting competition in spite of the fact that we live in different parts of the country.  The specific impetus for this competition was my post on the String Test method of scoring for target shooting, since that method makes it easy to give exact comparisons of shooting success.  A detailed discussion of the process as it was used in the period, and in this competition, can be read here.

The rules for the competition were simple:  We were both to shoot ten rounds offhand at a fifteen-yard target using reproduction Remington New Model Army revolvers with loose (i.e., not paper cartridges) .454 roundballs using any powder load and lubrication.  The winner was to be the one with the lower String Test measurement.

I normally shoot .44 roundballs over thirty grains of Pyrodex "P" (FFF equivalent) with a lubricated felt wad, but I chose that powder load simply because many of the people I have seen in YouTube videos shoot that charge.  Since this competition was to provide that highest of all possible rewards--bragging rights--I felt it was important to test various loads since it is widely known that different pieces respond differently to different loads, and I'm glad I did.

My best efforts at that range using those conditions (with one exception, see below) and thirty grains of powder had resulted in a score of 3.4 in./rd. (see the Range Report for 14 October 2020 here).  As a warmup on The Day, I shot three six-round groups, with twenty-five, thirty, and thirty-five grains respectively.  With twenty-five grains my score was a respectable 3.5 in./rd.; with thirty it was an astonishing 2.4 in./rd.; and with thirty-five it was 2.5 in./rd.  Even though the thirty-grain score was slightly lower, I felt that I had pulled one round of thirty-five grain string, and that it was actually a better group, so I elected to shoot thirty five grains for the competition.

The difference between these scores and my previous best of 3.4 in./rd. I attribute to the fact that for this day I was (by agreement) shooting with a two-handed grip (which I have used for many thousands of rounds using modern weapons), whereas previously I had always shot one-handed (to which practice I am entirely new) when firing offhand because of my historical shooting focus.  I have long believed that one can shoot as accurately one handed as he can two handed, but one-handed shooting is just slower because one has to take longer to get a good sight picture.  While today's testing would seem to contradict that belief, I still think it is reasonably true, and that the fault lies with my one-handed technique--something I am new to doing.  Look for more on this subject in blogs to come.

Thus prepared, I fired my competition table of ten rounds using a two-handed grip and thirty-five grains of powder.  The string test measurement was a stunning (to me) 24.25 inches, or 2.43 in./rd.--by far the best shooting I have ever achieved with a cap and ball revolver at this range.  My results can be seen below.

The "common wisdom" of the Internet shooting community is that lighter loads tend to be more accurate than heavy ones, and I strongly suspect that to be generally true, always remembering the caveat that every piece is different.  In this case, however, I suspect that the thirty-five-grain charge did better for me this day not because of the added speed of the bullet, but because the larger charge brought the bullet closer to the forcing cone when in the chamber.  The high-end target shooters usually use a filler such as cornmeal in their cylinders in order to bring their bullets closer to the mouth of the cylinder (and thus to the forcing cone) when loading because they feel that this causes the bullet to engage the rifling sooner, which leads to better results.  I achieved the same effect simply by using more powder--thirty five grains is close to the maximum that my chambers will hold using these balls.

In the end, my score turned out to be the better one, but, to be fair, I have more experience with the NMA than does my friend, and his score closely matched what my older numbers looked like when I was starting to learn the piece.  The real importance of this competition, however, was not the win (although, damn, but I am a competitive cuss, and I do love my bragging rights), but rather, the impetus it gave me to study my technique and procedures in order to drive myself to perform better.  In general, I will not be using a charge this heavy for my regular shooting out of a concern that it may stress my revolver, and I will not be using a two-handed grip when shooting offhand because I really am more interested in historical shooting practices.  Every time we push ourselves, however, we learn more about our art and ourselves, and ultimately, that is the real goal here.  That, even more than the win or the bragging rights, was the real victory here.

The idea for an Internet shooting challenge in the first place came to me from watching some videos of a regular yearly competition called the Cabin Fever Challenge in which several people I follow on YouTube participate.  Having tried it, I hope I can arrange more friendly competitions of this sort.  One of the nice things about this kind of competition is that there's little pressure about winning, and so less reason for unscrupulous people to cheat, and while I often enjoy high-stress, high-pressure competition, something more casual can be more fun and relaxing.

Loading Ammunition for the Smith Carbine

I created a video showing the process I use for making nylon cartridges that can be found here:  https://rumble.com/v2b5gto-making-nylon-cartridges-for-the-smith-carbine.html

I created a video for showing the process I use for making Poultney & Trimble-style foil cartridges that can be found here:  https://rumble.com/v2b5hm0-making-poultney-and-trimble-style-foil-wrapped-cartridges-for-the-smith-car.html

Introduction
The Smith carbine is a .50-caliber breech-loading rifled carbine patented by Gilbert Smith on June 23, 1857 that was used by various cavalry units during the Civil War.  They were manufactured by the Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts and the the American Machine Works in Springfield, Massachusetts. The name of the distributor for the weapon, Poultney & Trimble of Baltimore, Maryland, is often stamped on the carbines’ receivers.  They were 39½ inches in overall length with a 21⅝-inch barrel.  Approximately 30,000 Smith carbines were manufactured in total.  In this posting we will discuss the process for loading and packaging Smith carbine ammunition for the historical shooter. 

Reproduction Smith Carbine made by Pietta Brothers of Italy.

The Smith has an unusual design in that it breaks open at the breach, much like a shotgun, allowing the user to insert a cartridge directly into the chamber.  This makes them faster to load than the muzzle-loading rifles of the period, and also easier to load in various shooting positions other than the standing.

Smith Carbine open for loading.

An even more unusual aspect of the Smith was its ammunition.  The earliest Smith cartridges consisted of a .50-caliber bullet loaded into a hardened rubber case.  The case was pierced in the back to allow the flash from the detonating musket cap to reach the powder within, setting off the round.  The rubber case would obturate to fill the chamber completely, making the cartridge excellent at preventing the escape of combustion gasses which so plagued other breech-loading rifles of the period. 

The rubber for these unusual cartridges became scarce later in the period, so a different approach was used:  Metal foil was wrapped around a mandrel to form the case, and paper was then wrapped around that, much like cartridges were made for the later Snider-Enfield rifle. 

There were a variety of bullets designed for the Smith cartridge, but the those used by the military were of .52 caliber (.512 in.), weighing 363 grains, and were loaded with 50 grains of rifle powder (Thomas 1997 p. 237).  The bullet had grease grooves filled with a mixture of lamb's tallow and beeswax.

Extant Smith cartridges:  Foil and paper (top) and rubber (bottom).

Modern Smith bullet reproduction made from a mold by Eras Gone Bullet Molds.

Crispin Foil Cartridge Patent from 1863.

The U.S. government purchased 5.6 million rubber and 8 million metallic foil cartridges.  All of the ammunition for the Smith carbine was manufactured by one of three different manufacturers, with none being made by the U.S. arsenals.  It was packaged in cardboard boxes wrapped in paper with a string inside which allowed the user to rip open the paper and release the lid.  The boxes contained ten cartridges and a paper tube containing twelve musket caps.

Extant Smith cartridge package for foil-wrapped cartridges; note the paper tube containing 12 musket caps.

A superb article about the Smith carbine along with detailed historical information and shooting experiences with it written by Balázs Németh of Capandball.com in Hungary can be read here:  https://capandball.com/the-civil-war-smith-percussion-carbine/

My Smith carbine was manufactured by Pietta Brothers of Italy.  I cast the bullets myself from 100% pure lead using a highly accurate mold from Eras Gone Bullet Molds (http://www.erasgonebullets.com/).  The cases I use are of nylon, rather than rubber (but see below re: foil-wrapped cartridges), and were purchased from Northeast Trade Co. (https://www.northeasttradeco.com/).

Making the Cartridges

The first step in loading a Smith cartridge is to grease the bullets.  The U.S. Ordnance Department manual from the Civil War calls for bullet grease to be made of a 8:1 ratio of beeswax to lamb's tallow (1861 Ordnance Manual p. 266) which is what I normally use, however, when I am out of tallow I make an alternative recipe consisting of a 1:1 ratio of beeswax to olive oil which I have found to work almost as well.

The grease can be melted in a microwave and then poured into a pan in which the bullets have been placed base down.  After the grease has hardened, the bullets can be pulled straight up out of the hardened mixture using pliers and a ring of grease will remain in the cannelures.  One advantage of this method over simply dipping each bullet in hot grease is that the bases of the bullets will not be covered, which means that less powder will stick to the bases when loaded.

Greasing the bullets. The sizing die can be seen in the upper right.

I cast my bullets from pure lead using a mold from Eras Gone Bullet Molds, which gives an extremely accurate reproduction of the originals.  After the bullets are greased they are then driven through a sizing die to bring them to the desired diameter.  The Smith bullets come out of the mold at 0.518 inch in diameter, but I size them using a 0.515 inch sizing die purchased from Dixie Gun Works because I find them too large for the nylon cases, although the original bullets were not sized.  The Eras Gone website lists them as weighing 354 grains, but the average of those I cast is about 360 grains, making them just 0.003 inch larger and two grains lighter than those used by the military in the Civil War (see Thomas 1997 p. 237).  I have a frame which holds the sizing die and which has space underneath for a box to catch the sized bullets.  Each bullet is placed into the die point first and then driven through with a wooden dowel rod using a hard rubber mallet.  This also removes any excess grease from the bullet.

The sizing die and frame.  Notice the dowel rod and the box for catching the sized bullets.

The next step is to prepare the nylon cartridge cases.  One of the complaints lodged against the Smith carbine during the Civil War was that the powder would come out of the touchhole in the back of the case when the cartridges were carried in troopers’ cartridge boxes for extended periods of time.  To prevent this, I insert a small disk of nitrated filter paper (the same paper I use for combustible revolver cartridges) inside the case.  These disks are extremely flammable so they do not hinder ignition of the powder in the slightest, and yet they prevent the powder from leaking out through the hole in the base; this was the solution suggested in period, although there seems no evidence it was ever implemented, which makes one wonder how much of a problem this really was.  I used to put a small piece of tape over the end of the case, but I no longer do that because it was unsightly and historically inaccurate.  After the paper is inserted, thirty-five grains of black powder are added, measured by volume.  The original cartridges held fifty grains of powder, however, the modern nylon cases have somewhat thicker walls and, as a result will not hold as much powder.

Adding 35 grains of powder.

Finally, all that remains is to push the bullet into the filled case.  It is held in place purely by friction and the tackiness of the grease.  The overall cartridge length should be between 1.8 and 1.9 inches for best results.  Be aware that over time the cases will swell slightly and it may be necessary to add filler (e.g., corn meal) over the powder to get the correct overall length, and you can also do this if you choose to use less powder.

The bullet in place, ready to be forced into the case.

A finished Smith cartridge, ready to be loaded and fired.

A finished batch of ten Smith cartridges.

In truth, Smith carbine cartridges are the easiest kind of historical ammunition to load.  They require almost no special equipment, no dies, no press, and almost no tools of any kind.  Sizing is the only real issue, and that will vary according to the bullet used.

Poultney & Trimble Foil Cartridges

I have been experimenting with the foil-wrapped cartridges.  Although far more laborious to make, they are interesting from the historical standpoint of simply learning how to make them, and, in addition, they also allow me to load the full military charge of 50 grains of powder.  I am using the system developed by CapandBall.com (see the link to his article above).

The plans for the mandrel and wrappers from CapandBall.com.

The mandrel I had made from aluminum by my friend Robert Bradley.

Unlike the originals, I follow the CapandBall design by gluing a thin card wad to the base of the bullet.  This is because I haven't been able to crimp the bases as fully and cleanly as was done on the originals; a friend suggested using a shotgun crimper for this in order to avoid the card, and I plan to try that.

I use heavy craft paper and an aluminum beer can.  I put a 1/2 in. disk of nitrated paper in the base so as to avoid spilling powder out through the touch hole.  I then add 50 grains of 2F powder with a measure of cream of wheat on top to fill up the empty space remaining, then insert an unsized (i.e., .518 in.) greased Smith bullet.

A finished foil cartridge.

A finished cartridge packet of foil-wrapped cartridges.  Note the use of the correct label for this type of cartridges.

I have not yet tested these at the range to see how they perform.

Packaging the Cartridges

For a historical shooter, it is not enough to make historically accurate ammunition, it also has to be packaged correctly as it was when issued.  The process shown here is not perfect, but should be seen as a first step toward a more accurate procedure.

My original box design was a two-piece affair with a lid that slid down over the base, however, that design was not authentic, as the above pictures of an extant example make plain.  I did my own design to more closely match the original, and I think it is quite superior.  I previously used a label which copied the later foil-wrapped cartridges (see above), however, I recently found an example of a label for the rubber cartridges, and since these are what I shoot, I made a new label to match.  A piece of hemp string is glued to the top of the box, and then the craft paper with a label printed on it is wrapped around the finished box so that the string sticks out of the package.  The string is used to tear the outer wrapping in order to access the cartridges within while leaving the box itself unharmed and thus reusable.  The label still needs more work because the fonts are not quite correct.

Extant cartridge packs.  The one on top is for the earlier rubber cartridges, while the one on the bottom is for the later foil cartridges.

The box pattern.

The assembled box with the cord attached.

The first row of cartridges; note the paper tube of caps.

The second row of cartridges.

Two finished cartridge packages with the correct label for rubber cartridges.

110 Smith rubber cartridges.

Muzzle Energy

In a test  of my nylon cartridges the muzzle velocity varied from 852 to 881 f.p.s. with an average of 873 f.p.s.  Using the average bullet weight of 360 grains, this gives a muzzle energy of 609 ft.-lbs.  Compare this with Balázs Németh’s results using the same Eras Gone bullet in a foil-wrapped cartridge with 50 grains of Swiss 2F powder, which resulted in a muzzle velocity of 928 f.p.s. for a muzzle energy of 678 ft.-lbs. (see the article by Mr. Németh cited above).

Conclusion

This process is obviously not perfect, and represents only a first effort at recreating historical ammunition and packaging for Smith cartridges.  The foil-wrapped cartridges, in particular, need more work to smooth out the manufacturing process and testing to see how they perform.  It does, however, create a reasonable result and has served as a good learning process for determining how to improve the procedure.

Works Cited

McAulay, John D. Carbines of the Civil War, 1861-1865. Pioneer Press, 1981.

United States Ordnance Office. The Ordnance Manual for the use of the Officers of the United States Army. Philadelphia, J. P. Lippincott, 1861.

Santarelli, Michael.  The Smith Carbine in the Civil War.  Privately Printed, 2019.

Thomas, Dean S. Round Ball to Rimfire: A History of Civil War Small Arms Ammunition. Part Two, Federal Breechloading Rifles & Carbines. Gettysburg: Thomas Publications, 1997.

 ----------.  “Federal Ammunition for Civil War Breechloading Carbines and Rifles.” Reprinted from the American Society of Arms Collectors Bulletin 78:3-19
http://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/resources/articles/

The String Test Measure for Historical Target Practice

I have added a video showing how to calculate and use the String Test.  It can be found HERE.

Men have devised numerous methods for judging accuracy in target shooting over the years, but for the proponent of historical shooting using a method common in the period of the shooter’s interest gives an added dimension to the sport.  Methods can be as simple as determining which shooter can come closest to a given mark, or as complicated as the Figure of Merit system used in Victorian England (see HERE).  Several Nineteenth-century American sources refer to the String Test system, and it is this method which we will examine here.  It is simple, easy to do, and gives a single numerical score which can be used to track both group size and zero.

Terminology
We need to define several terms in order to discuss this subject:
Mean Point of Impact (MPI):  The average of the group where the shots actually hit; group center.
Intended Mean Point of Impact (IMPI):  Where the shot group was intended to be centered.  Also called “Correct Zero Point.”
Grouping:  Adjusting the ammunition, sights, sight picture, and point of aim so that the group size is as small as possible.
Zeroing:  Adjusting the ammunition, sights, sight picture, and point of aim so that the MPI moves to your IMPI.

What is Accuracy?
Ultimately, a shooter wants to be able to hit the target for which he aims, and that seems simple enough.  When considering a series of shots, however, there are two factors which really matter:  The first is the size of the group of shots, and the second is how close those shots come to the bullseye; in other words, how close is the MPI to the IMPI?  Modern shooters often focus exclusively on group size, but this ignores how close that group comes to where it was intended to go.  The String Test considers both factors by measuring the average distance of each round from the bullseye, which quantifies both grouping and zeroing in a single figure.

Historical Use of the String Test
The Berdan Sharpshooters were elite Federal light infantry of the Civil War.  They were principally armed with the Sharps Rifle (a rifle version of the Sharps carbine used by the cavalry).  In order to qualify for these units, applicants were told to fire a string of ten shots at a two-hundred-yard target.  The average distance could not exceed five inches from the center of the bullseye, or in other words, the string measure of the shots could not exceed fifty inches.  This result had to be verified by a county official, and the results were then sent in for approval (Marcot 2007 p.35).

A newspaper article of the time confirms the standard for Berdan sharpshooter applicants: “…that no man is admitted who does not shoot, at 600 feet distance, ten consecutive shots at an average of five inches from the bull's-eye. That is, the aggregate distance of the whole ten shots must not exceed fifty inches.”  (Harpers Weekly 1861).  This was remarkable for a time when little actual marksmanship practice was conducted by most infantry troops; in fact, some authorities claim that as many as one quarter of the enlistees in the Federal Army had never fired a rifle before their first battle, and never engaged in formal target practice outside of battle.

While most infantry manuals of the Civil War make no mention of target practice, some cavalry manuals (e.g., Cooke’s Cavalry Tactics) do.  In Cooke’s instructions, troopers were to ride past a target at various ranges, starting at ten paces (for recruits) and working up to one hundred, and at various gaits from a walk through to a gallop.  No time limits are mentioned for the evolution, nor does he provide any minimum standards of accuracy, however Cooke provided an exemplar form to use for recording each trooper’s results which included a place for indicating the string test measure (Cooke 1864 pp. 98-100).

The most explicit source we have for the string test comes from a book by Henry Heth on marksmanship dating from 1862 (p 61); note the similarity to the Berdan qualification:

2d. The target will be a circular board or boards three feet in diameter. The middle of the target will be marked by the centre of a black circle eight inches in diameter. The rest of the target will be painted white.
3d. Each man fires ten balls. The distance fired from will be 200 yards.
4th. After each shot, the distance from the centre of the ball-hole to the centre of the target will be measured and recorded.
5th. Balls which strike by ricochet will be counted as having missed the target.
6th. Each miss counts 20 inches on a man's string. In all cases the man whose string is shortest is selected.

The method continued in use even after the War.  In the Report of the Chief of Ordnance to the Secretary of War published in 1884, it was reported that General Ord, then in command of the Department of California, directed target practice to be held at each post once a week, and saying that "he specified that the value of the shot should be determined by string measurement, i.e., by measuring from the center of  each hit made by a marksman to the center of the bull's eye; these distances added together and divided  by the number of shots fired by the man gave the value to the string" (Ordnance Dept. 1884 p. 95).

Procedure
To determine the string test measurement, hold the end of a string at the bullseye and pull the string to any of the bullet holes.  Pinching the string at the point where it reached the hole, move that part back to the bullseye, and stretch the string to another bullet hole, pinching the string again at that new point.  Repeat this until the distance from the center has been measured to each of the hits.  The total length of string determines the final score, or you can divide the string length by the number of rounds to give an average score per round.  Any misses should be assigned a standard figure, as in Heth’s standard of twenty inches, however, it makes sense to vary that measure according to the range at which you are shooting.

The string test can be used to determine an individual score as described here, or it could be used to determine a qualifying score, as in the Berdan test discussed above, but the historical shooter will probably find the individual score to be the most useful when judging his own performance.  The average measure per round is most useful for tracking one's results over time, or for comparing different kinds of shooting, such as when using different powder loads, or at different ranges, or when comparing different bullet types.  For simplicity, I use a flexible tape measure for measuring the results, however, for more historical verisimilitude a simple piece of string can be used and then measured afterward.

Using a tape to measure the distance to each bullet hole.

An example of the string test measurement for a hypothetical target.

An example of a string test result:  11 rounds fired from a Remington New Model Army revolver at 15 yards resulting in a string of 43.5 inches, or 3.9 in./round.

Works Cited
Anon. “Colonel Berdan and his Sharpshooters.” Harper's Weekly. 24 August 1861.(https://www.2ndusss.com/research-library/harpers-weekly-august-24-1861) 

Cooke, Philip St. George. Cavalry Tactics: or Regulations for the Instruction, Formations, and Movements of the Cavalry of the Army and Volunteers of the United States. New York: J. W. Fortune, 1864. 

Heth, Henry.  A System of Target Practice for the Use of Troops When Armed with the Musket, Rifle-musket, Rifle, or Carbine.  New York: D.’ Van Nostrand, 1862. 

Marcot, Roy M. U.S. Sharpshooters: Berdan’s Civil War Elite. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2007.

United States Ordnance Department.  Report of the Chief of Ordnance to the Secretary of War for 1883, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884.

The Ballistics of the Snider-Enfield Rifle

Remarks:
The calculated height for cavalry forces is 8 1/2 feet, that for the infantry is 6 feet.
The rifle is 4 1/2 feet above the ground at distances to 300 yards; beyond that distance, 3 feet above the ground (this is because at ranges up to 300 yards the soldiers are taught to fire standing, while at ranges beyond that they are taught to fire from the kneeling position).
The object hit 3 feet above the ground at each distance.
N.B. The first catch and first graze are given in divisions of 5 yards to assist the memory, hence are only approximations.

15. It will be seen from the above table that if the Snider-Enfield rifle be fired from the shoulder, standing, at the centre of a bull's eye 3 feet from the ground, with the elevation for 100 yards, its axis must be directed at a point 3 feet 10 inches from the bottom of the target, and the height of the firer's shoulder being taken at 4 1/2 feet, the bullet in its course does not anywhere rise above the latter height. It will also be observed that the bullet which, in this distance falls only 10 inches, would, after passing through the centre of the bull's eye (if the target were made of cotton or paper) strike the ground at 80 yards beyond it,-showing that in that distance it falls the height of 3 feet,-and consequently, in passing over the second hundred yards, it would from the continually increasing curve fall more than 4 feet, thus proving what was shown in the second lesson, that the elevation for 100 yards would not be sufficient for 200 yards, or any greater distance.

—Regulations for Conducting the Musketry Instruction of the Army. 1870. pp. 35-36.

The specific Mark of cartridge is not specified in the above manual but can be assumed to be a 480-grain bullet (with plug) over 68-72 grains of RFG ("rifle fine grain") powder since the document dates from 1870 (the bullet weight dropped from 525 grains in Marks I-II to 480 grains in later marks from 1867 onward).

"The Snider bullet weighs 480 grs. : the powder charge 70 grs. of R. F. G. : wt. of a bundle of 10 cartridges about 16 oz." (General Viscount Wolseley.  The Soldier's Pocket Book for Field Service. London: Macmillan and Co. 1886. p. 109.)

Definitions:
Distance is the setting on the rifle's rear sight.
First Catch is the first distance at which a round will hit either a cavalry or infantry soldier in the head at that sight setting.
First Graze is the distance at which a round will hit a soldier's feet at that sight setting.
Margin is the distance between "First Catch" and "First Graze" at that sight setting.  In other words, this is the range over which a bullet will strike some point on an enemy (from his head to his feet) for any given sight setting.
Point Blank is the point at which the bullet's trajectory crosses the line of sight for any given sight setting; also known as "far zero" today.*

Decreasing Margin:
Note that the chart above makes it plain that the margin decreases in width as the range setting increases.  Thus, at the 300 yard setting, the margin--i.e., the distance between first catch and first graze--is 135 yards for infantry, but that the margin decreases to only 30 yards at the 600 yard setting.  This is because the bullet trajectory is a parabolic curve which drops off much faster toward the end of its flight than it does at the beginning as the force of the shot decreases over time and the effects of gravity and wind resistance assert themselves more strongly.

Figure 9:  The Line of Fire; Bullet Trajectory; and Line of Sight (top to bottom).
Figure 10:  First Catch and First Graze versus infantry with the sight set at 300 yards.
Figure 11:  First Catch and First Graze against cavalry and infantry with the sight set at 600 yards.
From:  Regulations for Conducting Musketry Instruction, 1870, p. 165.  The cleaned-up rendering of the above drawing is courtesy of Grant Rombough.

Snider Ballistics:
Bullet weight:  480 grains (including plug).
Barrel length:  36 inches.
Sight Radius:  31.6 inches.
Powder charge:  68-72 grains of "R.F.G." or "Rifle, Fine Grain" which is similar to modern Swiss 1.5F.
Muzzle velocity:  1,250 f.p.s.
Muzzle energy:  1,666 ft. lbs.
(These figures assume a Mark III et. seq. cartridge.)

*Although some ballistics texts seem to use a slightly different definition of "point blank," the definition used here is that to be found in shooting manuals of the Nineteenth Century.  For example: "[P]oint-blank (V) is the second intersection of the trajectory (T K), or curve, with the line of sight." (Heth, Henry.  A System of Target Practice for the use of Troops. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1862. p. 17.)