Thanks Craig!
One of my favorite "long rang shooting" stories because of the "documentation and provenience" that has followed this story through history.
I have also had a long time love affair for BPCR. Learning the ins & outs of Long range shooting is an ongoing affair, it never ends, and I never grow tired of the reading or the learning.
One interesting aspect of this rather long story is the fact that during the Creedmore Matches, which took place years earlier than the actual story, a 1,000 yd group was fired and documented that measured just over 8.5".....that group stood in history as the smallest group at that distance for well over 100 years.
(A young man from Fallon Nevada named Skip Talbot finally broke that 100 year old group record in the late 1980's with a group of "just over 6.5".
I personally knew Skip Talbot, from the Long Range Nationals that my wife and I hosted back in 1983 and 1985 in El Paso Texas.
A fine man, a great gunsmith, and a most wonderful all-round person!
Unfortunately we lost Skip in July 2005. He went on to that great range in the sky......
At that time I wrote small piece here on the TMA regarding Skip and the many times he had helped me over the years while living in the Southwest.
His donation of a complete set of Silhouette targets made of T-10 steel is still in use on the Range in Deming New Mexico.)
Here is an interesting tid-bit from the story of Adobe Walls for those interested in the "how it happened"....
"It would be easy to suggest that with more than a dozen trained marksmen in attendance (skilled men equipped with long-range guns and plenty of superior ammunition) the affair was thoroughly one-sided. However, that was certainly not the case – odds matter, regardless of armament!
Most “hiding†groups consisted of four or more men, only one or two of whom killed buffalo. The others skinned and tended various other chores. Almost certainly, far fewer than a dozen highly skilled shooters were among the twenty-eight at Adobe Walls (ammunition necessary to become proficient was very expensive). It is also unlikely there were as many as one-dozen long-range rifles at Adobe Walls (guns were very, very expensive). In any case, even twenty-odd single-shot rifles would provide precious little firepower to turn an onrushing cavalry of seven hundred!
Those at Adobe Walls suffered several wounded and three dead, along with a total loss of livestock – only those dogs that hightailed it at the onset of the festivities survived. Later, Dixon, among others, stated his belief that it was a minor miracle that they had incurred so few casualties.
To add poignancy to this aspect, we will note the following anecdotes, taken both from Dixon’s memoirs and from oral history: At the battle’s outset, Shadler’s dog had been sleeping under a wagon, where its master slept; that ill-fated mutt managed to reach cover before expiring from the effects of numerous hits. (Thirty-seven bullets, according to the oral history!) In the initial battle, the Shadler brothers were sleeping in a wagon. They never escaped its insufficient protection. Billy Tyler, who had been outside, made it to the house but took a bullet through the lungs as he turned to close the door; he survived about thirty minutes.
In the initial fiasco, the Indians suffered decimating losses in both horses and riders. Thereafter, albeit more cautiously, they continued attacking, organizing skirmishes throughout that day and the next, looking for a weakness or a safer means of attack – they evidently found none.
On the third morning, with cool, calm and clear weather, a group of about fifteen Indians convened a war council on a bluff east of Adobe Walls Creek. According to Dixon, the huddled riders were not far from seven-eighths mile away. The distance was later surveyed. Mr. Dixon’s stated range held up quite well – survey report 1538 yards (our Shootist brothers, John Purcell and Perry Nettle have visited the sight and report that the survey marker is in place, close to Dixon’s grave).
No doubt, these riders were arguing how to abandon their ill-fated attack with dignity – something of significance to any self-respect-ing warrior. However, at that moment, a pivotal sequence of events began to unfold. The result eliminated any concerns about dignity.
Knowing Dixon was the best Shootist there, one of the other shooters (Masterson claimed credit) pointed toward the riders and said, “Why don’t you take a crack at them with your ‘Big-Fifty’, Billy?†Evidently, Dixon knew the range well. Perhaps he had previously used that ridge for target practice, something that would have been in character. Evidently, he knew the proper sight setting because he summarily adjusted his Sharp’s rear sight and prepared to “give it a try.â€
Now, finally, we get to the meat of our story. Reiterating, Dixon was a renowned rifle shot. Not only did he employ his marksmanship skills in making a living, but he also practiced the sport of long-range target shooting. Further, he had the best equipment then available and that, I must add, was equipment that would rival some of our best today. Keep in mind that some of the long-range target records set in the 1870s & 1880s stood for generations, e.g., a 1000 yard group measuring 8.6-inches fired in 1886. Dixon was not handicapped by lack of equipment. In competent hands, given a good estimate of range and calm conditions, Dixon’s 50-2½ Sharps was a formidable long-range combination. Unfortunately, we do not know the details of his load. However, almost certainly he used a paper-patched, pointed bullet weighing well over one-ounce. Also he almost certainly handloaded, using the best powder then available and due care in all aspects of cartridge production.
After adjusting his long-range sight, Dixon took careful aim and no doubt made a few fine adjustments for any slight breeze, bullet rotation, alignment of the planets, that itch behind his neck, and any other effects he might have though significant. He then touched the finely adjusted set trigger to loose a projectile. His stated target was “The group of riders.â€
If his bullet was the lighter Sharps type (approximately 500 grains) muzzle velocity would have been about 1350 fps. For the (more likely) heavier type (about 700 grains) muzzle velocity would have been about 1100 fps. At 7/8 of a mile the lighter bullet would have delivered about 535 foot pounds of energy; the heavier bullet about 845 foot pounds of energy. 1538 yard time-of-flight is practically identical – about 5.3 seconds.
Meanwhile, if any among the Indians were watching, they might have seen a cloud of smoke in front of Hanrahan’s store. It is easy to imagine their mirth at the thought of some foolish White-Eyes wasting powder and lead. Then, an eternal 4.1 seconds later, if they were quiet, they would have heard the distant rumble of a Big-Fifty Sharps rifle.
About 1.2 seconds later, the impossible happened! One of the assembled chiefs took a bullet and was toppled from his horse – most undignified!
Not surprisingly, the remaining chiefs recognized that little incident as bad medicine; they therefore and forthwith terminated the Battle of Adobe Walls". Here is the entire story on some of the documentation, and a repeat performance, for those interested.
http://www.levergun.com/articles/bdixon.htmUncle Russ.....
Topic: 2nd Battle of Adobe Walls (Read 82 times)