I would agree this is a endless subject that�s full of speculation , rumor and opinions..
For information on much of anything concerning documental history . You would be better to look to the ALF , TMA or any number of historical knowledge based sites where people spend mass amount of times researching and can give references to the writings by page number .
When it comes to distance / range . From what I have read there is documentation of shots being taken from 200-450 yards and hitting their marks on a regular base . But one must remember that these were trained rifleman ., people who in most cases had been shooting their inter lives .
The Battle of Kings hill was mentioned . I don�t recall reading of any long range shots at kings hill . Doesn�t mean there isn�t . just means I have not read about them .
Imo the battle is a rather interesting example of what happens when a government starts to tread to heavily on simple country folks .
One hand you have Major Ferguson . The man who invented the Ferguson rifle and was said to have had a clear and easy shot at rather close range on General Washington rather early on in the revolution . However chose not to take that shot because Washington had turned his back .
Then you have the mountain folk or what is sometimes referred to as the Over the mountain people . In so many words frontiersman , farmers and any number of other people who were living on what was at that time pretty much the frontier ..
These people until Kings mountain , had pretty much stayed clear of the fighting until Tarleton
Gave no quarter at � I think it was � Monck�s Corner. .
that�s where we get the words Tarletons Quarter , which means no quarter , IE kill everyone .
Because the militia at that engagement was made of a large number of Over the mountain people , the consern was that this are was about to enter into the war on the side of the patriots . Which prior to that the south had a large support of Tories. In so many words ,Ferguson issues a proclamation that if these people did not stay clear of the fighting he would takes his troops over the mountains and teach them a lesson they would not soon forget .
Ferguson soon was shown the error of his thinking when he was pushed to the top of kings hill , where he and his troops were killed under the cries of ; Tarletons Quarter !!!!!
The battle ended up breaking the back of the Kings Tories ( Government supporters/ kings suporters ) in the south.
many of which ended up slipping eather up into Canada or just stuffing a sock in it .
that�s just a generalization of what happened . Its very much a very interesting battle to study . Frankly a subject that our current government and their supporters might want to think about before things get pushed so far that history repeats itself .
of course cap lock increased the accuracy simply due to the fact they were a hell of a lot more reliable. A flintlock the "experts" say will fire 7 out of 10 times on a perfect day. Add rain, snow, sleet, into that mixture and we'll see about that.
Yes, a flintlock can be made to fire fast, but i am not going to believe its faster or more accuracy than a caplock, especially in a hunting position
these wouldn�t be the same experts who claim a smooth bore cannot hit a barn door consistently at 15 yards would it , LOL
On top of what Long hunter stated .
a Flintlock IMO is far more consistent and reliable then a cap lock. the reason behind that is that the shooter is capable of inspecting every inch of the ignition system . not so with a cap lock .
the shooter however has to have experience in maintaining that system so as to make it reliable .
with a cap lock , your also relying on someone else , IE the cap manufacture , to insure that even if the complete ignition channel is clear , that you even get ignition ..
but from my experience concerning shooting and hunting with flintlocks . if i do my part , the rifle will go off 10 times out of 10 on both a good day and a bad day .
if it fails , it does so because i failed , not the ignition system .
i also dont believe a cap lock is more accurate in the hands of an experienced shooter .
Now in the case of an in experienced shooter , ya , I think a cap lock probably initially is more accurate . But only initially
When it comes to accuracy between the long rifle and the later shorter plains rifles .
Those later rifles also have some recorded very capabilities that are still being attested to today . So I don�t think one can really side one way or another without taking the rifle out of its time period and comparing them . Myself I think they would probably stay pretty darn close