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Are ranging shots realistic ?


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The danish test was done at 90m, so I can't comment on accuracy at longe range, but they did hit the x made by tape... 

 

My knowledge is mainly on landbased artillery, but (generalizing a lot) if you look at 12pounders, they had an effective range at 1km and Iam pretty sure they could hit a target the size of a ship with a good hit %.

My point is, In my view the problem is not the guns lack of accuracy... but the ship rolling.

 

anyway, back to debating ranging shots.

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Range shot is nice for range estimation.

I dont think range shots are the problem, but rather how accurate a broadside is at very long ranges.

Using 6pd long barrels I can land the entire broadside accurately on target once I got the range. And getting range takes only 1-2 shots when you played awhile as you start to known the elevation required based on the distance to ship and ship size.

What I think is needed is a wider 'cone of fire', that is more spread at long ranges.

The cannons used were not rifled, but smoothbore, using round shots and fired through barrels that were not exactly a 'snug fit' but had quite a bit of free space around the cannonball. Those elements all contribute to inaccuracy, particularly at long ranges where wind direction, wind resistance and its effect on a round shape as well as the movement of the ship all come into play.

Firing a roundball musket at long range is more of a game of chance than marksmanship.

And smoothbore cannons is nothing more than oversized muskets.

Just a thought.

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Inaccuracy from muskets (and smoothbore cannons) is the result of round balls having very poor ballistics. The drag from wind will cause the shot to pull towards a random direction rather than cutting through it like a pointed round fired from a rifled barrel does.

The cleanliness of the barrel isn't the main cause of inaccuracy, though it can add to it.

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Inaccuracy from muskets (and smoothbore cannons) is the result of round balls having very poor ballistics. The drag from wind will cause the shot to pull towards a random direction rather than cutting through it like a pointed round fired from a rifled barrel does.

The cleanliness of the barrel isn't the main cause of inaccuracy, though it can add to it.

 

Due to lack of rifling, you're also missing the spin imparted to the projectile, which serves to "even out" imperfections and imbalances in the projectile, causing each to have a different aerodynamic drag which will emphasize that impurity/imbalance as it flies through the air, causing the projectile to swerve in an unpredictable direction.  Even a completely round projectile can obtain decent accuracy if a good amount of spin is imparted upon it.

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True Henry, the spin is a crucial factor. Even pointed rounds would end up tumbling through air if no spin is introduced.

However, round balls from smoothbore cannons had no spin whatsoever. At least no intended spin, nor enough to make much difference.

So again, on topic, the ability to fire single ranging shots in the game is not really the issue. The fact that cannons are so accurate that once you got range from a single shot, every single shot from broadside will be dead on target even at extreme ranges.

Introducing less accuracy on those long range broadsides would make ranging and extreme distance broadside sniping with long guns less desirable (and more realistic?)

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True Henry, the spin is a crucial factor. Even pointed rounds would end up tumbling through air if no spin is introduced.

However, round balls from smoothbore cannons had no spin whatsoever. At least no intended spin, nor enough to make much difference.

So again, on topic, the ability to fire single ranging shots in the game is not really the issue. The fact that cannons are so accurate that once you got range from a single shot, every single shot from broadside will be dead on target even at extreme ranges.

Introducing less accuracy on those long range broadsides would make ranging and extreme distance broadside sniping with long guns less desirable (and more realistic?)

 

We're agreed on all of those points.

 

Ranging shots are important.

 

Vertical dispersion at longer ranges is far, far, far too small.  I've agitated in multiple threads to exponentially increase dispersion, both vertical and horizontal, beyond mid-range.

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The danish test was done at 90m, so I can't comment on accuracy at longe range, but they did hit the x made by tape... 

 

My knowledge is mainly on landbased artillery, but (generalizing a lot) if you look at 12pounders, they had an effective range at 1km and Iam pretty sure they could hit a target the size of a ship with a good hit %.

My point is, In my view the problem is not the guns lack of accuracy... but the ship rolling.

 

anyway, back to debating ranging shots.

 

 

Test was done at 100 m, here's the video(s)  :)

 

http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2014/03/25/121431.htm

 

Bottom video is with wartime load, hence the more powerful recoil.

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The vid say 100m, but that is not correct. I contacted the musem and ask for a few more details... and it was done at 90m.
They first fired off 1kg powder, with no round. Then 1,5kg for the first round, and then used the warload of 3kg for the rest.

The round that went high went 2200m

 

The rounds was originals that had been "sandblown" to remove rust - weight 14,9kg

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