in 1896-1897, but none were deemed to be suitable for further consideration. A couple of nondescript rifle telescopes were reportedly looked at previously by the Ordnance Dept. Presumably, a telescopic sight would be able to enhance the long-range accuracy of the rifle. 30-40 Krag cartridge possessed a flatter trajectory and better ballistic performance than the larger-caliber blackpowder cartridges previously in use. Army’s first standardized smokeless-powder service rifle. The rifle was described as “ United States Military Rifle – Krag-Jorgensen – Equipped with Sharpshooters’ Telescopic Sight.” The likely reason for the renewed interest by the American military in a telescopic-sighted rifle after remaining dormant for so long is that the Krag was the U.S. to evaluate a Model 1898 Krag rifle fitted with a telescopic sight designed and manufactured by the Cataract Tool & Optical Co. Phipps, commanding officer of Springfield Armory, was convened by order of the U.S. Then, on June 8, 1900, a board appointed by Lt. Muzzleloading, percussion-fired “sharpshooting” bench- rest rifles, such as this one, circa 1860, were the first American rifles to employ telescopic sights in combat. Such was the case for the next three-and-a-half decades. Army showed virtually no interest in telescopic-sighted rifles, despite their proven effectiveness during the recently concluded war. When war erupted, limited numbers of these civilian benchrest match rifles were procured by both the Union and Confederate armies for issuance to select “sharpshooters” and were used throughout the war, often with notable success. While many, if not most, had iron sights, a number were fitted with long sheet-metal or brass telescopes, typically two to three feet in length. 58 cal.) and were capable of surprising accuracy. Such rifles normally weighed from 25 to 35 lbs., had heavy barrels (of generally between. These muzzleloading, percussion rifles were fabricated by a number of civilian gunsmiths and gunsmithing firms, primarily for benchrest shooting matches. The American Civil War was the first conflict in our nation’s history in which telescopic-sighted rifles were employed in combat to any appreciable extent.
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