Hand guards - farb or fact?

[BritReenactor]

Hello all

A problem I've had with my Enfield is that by about the fifth round down the barrel in quick succession the metal work simply gets too hot to handle. While I've found some use in using the sling to manipulate the weapon when reloading, I appreciate that this is a less than perfect solution. Has anyone found evidence of period guards on the barrel to prevent this? I know that the British army in the Colonial wars of the 1870s had a similar sort of arrangement involving rawhide wrapped around the barrel, and I've seen soldiers in mainstream units with a leather sleeve of about 8" on the barrels of their weapons, but is this something that was done in the Civil War, and if so how?

Many thanks

Ollie Marks

[RSchuda]

Re: Hand guards - farb or fact?

While I have seen what you're talking about done by some reenactors, I can't say I've ever seen a period reference to something like this.

[erik]

Re: Hand guards - farb or fact?

Brit re enactor,
You are off the wall on this one.
I have been involved in Canadian Militia period demonstrations since 1962 using Snider Enfields and 1853 Enfields from Parker Hale when they were introduced.
We have fielded companies of 25 to 30 Riflemen for that period until now.
Please note that we are a Rifle regiment used to rapid and individual fire.
We have used De Rottenburg"s drill for the Canadian Militia, The Instruction of Musketry for the Army 1859 and Field Exercise1862.
Since 1991I have been involved in Civil War impressions using Casey's tactics.
At no time have I read a period document about a sleeve on the barrel in
British, Canadian or US service.
Do not confuse this with the Martini Enfield which could scorch your hand off.
In 1984 I took a hslf company to Winchester England to demonstrate the Rifle drills of the 1860's.
We demonstrated the drills of the Canadian Rifles of 1860 for a week using rapid fire with no burns.
They did their drills as taught except for the multiple miss fires, a cleaning patch in the bore.
He paid the piper.
This comes down to good leadership and drill.
Try firing by file while advancing, my favorite manouvre.
Read Crucible of Fire.
Search Google for Canadians in Winchester 1984.
There are 5 parts.

Erik Simundson

[maillemaker]

Re: Hand guards - farb or fact?

I can tell you from N-SSA competition that the barrels get so hot that you cannot touch them. Particularly the 1842 which gets so hot it starts making heat mirages over the barrel as you are trying to aim. Definitely hot enough that you cannot touch the barrel for very long. You learn how to handle the arm without burning yourself by handling the wood stock.

Steve

[BritReenactor]

Re: Hand guards - farb or fact?

Alright, thanks for that feedback. I'll steer clear of any sort of hand guards in future! I guess I'd better start learning how to handle the weapon carefully...

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Hand guards - farb or fact?

Hallo!

A very short answer.... in my experience, and at the risk of using a Universal... no, never (yet).

Hot barrels are not unknown. A number of CW carbines had no forestock, One I can think of, dealt with the problem by adding a forestock and that was the Burnside Carbine whose first two types (of four) did not have one.

Although it is modern Apples and Oranges, some N-SSA competitors wear leather gloves when shooting "bare barrel" carbines (Cosmopolitan/Gwyn & Campbell, Gallagher, Greene, Maynard, etc.) and even for RM's and R's. I wore one glove to deal with hot barrels.

And, out of our Period, I am reminded of the perhaps anecdotal perhaps factual, exceptional, accounts of the British Martini-Henry rifles glowing red in the dark at Roarke's Drift in 1879 as well as being so hot they prematurely "cooked off" the cartridge.

"Rapid fire" musket work tends to over-heat barrels because the barrel walls are so thin, less an issue with RM's, and less still with heavy thick-walled Rifles.

Curt