How short would you go on a barrel for 54 cal shooting PRB's?
By the early Nineteenth Century PRB Military rifles had evolved into an exact science: 0.53-0.54 cal., 33"-36" barrels. Culminating in the US Rifle of 1841 AKA the "Mississippi Rifle".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1841_Mississippi_rifleIt remained state of the art in US Military rifles until Jeff Davis had it replaced with the Model 1855 Springfield which used the then-revolutionary French-inspired Minie ball system.
Lots of Mississippis ended up in State arsenals. Most of them were eventually bored out to 0.58 Minie but the rifle in its original .54 cal. PRB configuration played a major role on the Texas Frontier throughout the 1850's and into the '60's.
Birdwatcher
