Re: Thoughts on Veldtgrunt-- SG2 Zulu Wars

Andy Cowell wrote:
> 
> In message <F4ExvWvqzAoa2JB1ndc00000121@hotmail.com>, "Peter Mancini"
writes:
> > They were .45???!!!! Holy Freaking Shoe Shine!  I imagine it left
many a Re
d
> > Coat with a sore shoulder!	And many a Zulu village less one Brave.
> >
> > I reverse myself then - these guns were killers.  How many rounds a
minute
> > could one get off?	How long did it take to reload?
> 
> >From the Colonial list on egroups.com (a much fun place), they say
the
> optimum was 6 shots a minute.
> 
> The South African historian in the list gave an account of a unit's
> leader being shot rousing the unit to charge approx. 100 yards through
> two volleys and then independant fire to close with the British.
> (uMcijo and iNgobamakhosi amabutho)  Say, 20 seconds to charge 100
> yards, and at least 3 shots off in succession, so that sounds about
> right.
> 
> I have DEFINITELY got to work on my confidence table. ;)
> 
> (Of COURSE it was .45!!  Go watch Zulu again.  "If it was a miracle,
> Colour Sergeant Bourne, then it was a forty-five caliber miracle."
> "An' a bayonet, too, suh!  Wi' a bit o' guts behin' it.")
> 
> (Mind you, I saw later M-H models were recalibrated to .303, leading
to,
> I believe, the great quote from "Breaker Morant," "They were executed
> under rule three-oh-three!")

I have a recollection that they were rechambered to (I think) .22 as
training weapons.

For the Boer war, it would have been Lee Metfords, I think.  

.303 bolt action magazine rifles.

-- 
Barry Cadwgan ( BCADWGAN@FL.NET.AU )
http://www.users.fl.net.au/~bcadwgan/homepage.htm
"The end does not justify the means.  
 The end is the sum of the means,
 as the road travelled determines the destination." 
Valijon Starbringer (Hellflower Trilogy, Eluki bes Shahar)