Research Press Digest 2025: Firearms, Long Range Target Shooting & Military History

Research Press Digest features newly written articles and reprints of scarce 19th and early 20th century texts relating to firearms, long range target shooting and military history. The military smooth-bore flintlock musket and round ball ammunition saw general issue well into the 19th century, finally being supplanted by the percussion rifle firing a hollow based self-expanding bullet. This volume explores rifle development during this remarkable period, commencing with a chronological history of the British service rifle (1800-1870). D.W. Bailey’s analysis of ‘The Much Maligned Brunswick’ follows. Lieut.-Col. Lane Fox’s paper of 1858 highlights the views and conflicting opinions of those seeking to improve the rifle in the mid-19th century, while W.S. Curtis and D.B. Minshall look back at the work of two key figures of the 18th century. A brief history of Enfield rifle bullet base plugs charts their evolution through contemporary trials reports. The comparative tool, ‘Figure of Merit,’ is also explained. A comprehensive lecture presents experience at a Hythe Course of Instruction in Musketry, 1859, demonstrating the advanced state such had reached. Read more