Originally Posted by Hastings
The Indians had a reputation as being terrible shots with rifles unless at close range. So I've heard.

I guess there were Indians and then again there were Indians. In the early 18th Century the British Trader Adair pointed out that his Chickasaw customers would commonly fire 100 or more rounds wringing out a new trade gun (smoothbores, not rifles yet).

The people at americanlongrifles.com believe the longrifle first appeared in Pennsylvania (1740’s) in response to the demands of the Indian trade; nice to look at and being smallbore, were economical of lead and powder.

The first time British Redcoats got shot up in North America by long range riflery was when they went against the Cherokees in 1760.

1780, British Colonel Edward Hanger observed a 400 yard shot against himself by a Patriot rifleman, a near miss. For 56 years that was the longest recorded rifle shot with a round ball flintlock rifle.-

1836, Florida, Withlacoochie River, General Edmund P Gaines reported that his men were being hit by single aimed rifle shots fired at a distance between four and five hundred yards. Gaines himself lost a tooth to a ricochet. The guys firing those shots were Seminoles and/or their Black Seminole allies.

"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744