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Gone Fly Fishing
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Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Mar 23rd, 2015 at 9:03am
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A very fine shooting 1873 Maynard rifle at the long range match held at the Creedmoor range.

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Note the hand stop in photo;

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Dr.Maynard
  
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march41
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #1 - Mar 23rd, 2015 at 7:50pm
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Outstanding Photos<thanks,Bob.
  
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Deadeye Bly
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #2 - Mar 23rd, 2015 at 8:18pm
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That rifle belonged to professor Charles E. Dwight from Wheeling West Virginia and he shot it in the "walkover" match at Creedmoor in 1878. I know where it resides now.
He had several misses the first day in competition with that rifle and shot a Sharps Borchardt on the second day. Perhaps he should not have given up on the Maynard so quickly.
  
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harry_eales
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #3 - Mar 24th, 2015 at 2:02am
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In the second photograph the long range rear sight shows what appears to be a McFarland and Hadley patented Rack and Pinion operated rifle sight patented in 1876. An unusual choice I would have thought for a Creedmoor Rifle, as there is scarcely any fine adjustment with such a design. Still, you don't see many pictures of this sight around. 
Harry
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Gone Fly Fishing
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #4 - Mar 24th, 2015 at 6:02am
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He had several misses the first day in competition with that rifle and shot a Sharps Borchardt on the second day. Perhaps he should not have given up on the Maynard so quickly.


Thanks for that addition John.  I knew that this extra fine Maynard long range rifle was competed at the Long Island competition, but failed to know that Professor Dwight had several stray shots with it. 

I also would rather have the story go that he came back on the second day with this very same Maynard and "cleaned the clocks" of the second day competitors, much to their surprise.

Webb
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #5 - Mar 24th, 2015 at 6:36am
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  Thanks Harry --- I have been on a search for  approximately 2 years for an original Rack & Pinion tang sight for my Maynards and just spent the better part of 1/2 a day this past Saturday at the Baltimore Gun Show searching for one.  Unfortunately, I am not able to report that I had a successful hunt on Saturday.

Your point is well taken RE: the lack of fine adjustment on the rear sight of Professor Dwight's Maynard.  That is, until one considers that what is lacking at the rear sight, is more than made up for in the Marlin wind-gauge front sight.

I am hoping that we both agree that as a convenience matter for the shooter, fine windage adjustment is best obtained at the tang sight.  That is, unless Professor Dwight was fortunate to have had an assistant who was available to tend to the front sight windage adjustments between shots and the rules allowed for such an additional person on the firing line.

See:
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #6 - Mar 24th, 2015 at 6:44am
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Gentlemen --

Just wanted to fill in a couple of blanks, RE: this really intriguing (at least for me) part of Maynard history.

The Dwight long range rifle was (and is) chambered for the 44-100 Maynard cartridge shooting a 520 grain paper patch bullet.

See for a detail of the thumb piece:

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Deadeye Bly
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #7 - Mar 24th, 2015 at 8:51am
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Unfortunately Mr. Dwight had a miss at 800 yds, one miss at 900 and two misses at 1000 yds finishing dead last of the competitors. He was doing well on the second day with the Borchardt but a storm came up and the match was called before all competitors could finish. He was one who did not finish.

The important thing is that he was there with his Maynard and competed with it at the Credmoor range, certainly a notable accomplishment.
  
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #8 - Mar 24th, 2015 at 1:04pm
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The important thing is that he was there with his Maynard and competed with it at the Creedmoor range, certainly a notable accomplishment.


I will "second" that John. 

Thanks for posting the finer details on Professor Dwight's trip to Long Island, N.Y.  One never knows, unless one gives it a good try. 

Webb
  
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #9 - Mar 24th, 2015 at 2:03pm
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Webb, Regarding your desire to find a Hadley rack and pinion tang sight for your Maynard you might widen your search to include one of the reproductions made and imported several years ago by the company then known as Parts Unknown, now trading as Red River Sights and sold by Buffalo Arms. Perhaps you might contact BA and inquire if Red River could be encouraged to reproduce them again. Their repros were not exact, being slightly less sharp edged and finely made but one would serve until an original can be had. Bob
  
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harry_eales
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #10 - Mar 25th, 2015 at 5:01am
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Gone Fly Fishing wrote on Mar 24th, 2015 at 6:36am:

  Thanks Harry --- I have been on a search for  approximately 2 years for an original Rack & Pinion tang sight for my Maynards and just spent the better part of 1/2 a day this past Saturday at the Baltimore Gun Show searching for one.  Unfortunately, I am not able to report that I had a successful hunt on Saturday.

Your point is well taken RE: the lack of fine adjustment on the rear sight of Professor Dwight's Maynard.  That is, until one considers that what is lacking at the rear sight, is more than made up for in the Marlin wind-gauge front sight.

I am hoping that we both agree that as a convenience matter for the shooter, fine windage adjustment is best obtained at the tang sight.  That is, unless Professor Dwight was fortunate to have had an assistant who was available to tend to the front sight windage adjustments between shots and the rules allowed for such an additional person on the firing line. .


I do agree that a front windage adjustable sight is vital in any long range competition, but that cannot make up for course vertical adjustments on the rear sight staff. The Soule windage adjustable staff was still about 12 years into the future when this competition was taking place

Given that there were some very accurate rear sights available, I'm just surprised at the choice that was made.

Good luck in your search for a McFarland and Hadley rear sight, I am interested in all forms of target sights from the 19thC, but I cannot ever recollect seeing on for sale by itself, apart from those Russian copies that Sergei imports and distributes through BA. The quality of the sights isn't good and BA appear to indicate that most of his sights are out of production.
Harry
  
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #11 - Mar 25th, 2015 at 6:40am
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Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor ?

Is there a match report connected to this thread?

             Joe.
  
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John Boy
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Re: Maynard Ahead at Creedmoor
Reply #12 - Mar 25th, 2015 at 10:35am
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Quote:
Is there a match report connected to this thread?

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