Were they really?

[Kevin Alexander]

I’ve had this internal discussion several time in the past few years. At first I used to say that the ODG’s couldn’t compete with our top shooters of today. When you really break it down though I think they could hold there own against today’s shooters. Think about everything, and I mean everything, they they were using as compared to today’s supplies and equipment.
Let’s break it down a little.
Barrels are made better with better steel, machining and tolerances.
Chambers are cut with better reamers and to stricter tighter tolerances.
The same thing goes for the sights and the triggers.

Bullet components are better.
Lead composition has better materials, more consistent hardness.
Moulds are awesome. Again, way better made.
Brass has to be more consistent and better made today.
Paper for wrapping bullets has to be more uniform and better made.
Cleaning materials and equipment.
Powder of today is better.
The list goes on and on.
When you truly break the equipment and supplies down with the technology used today in the manufacturing process and the technology to test it and supply your test results around the world to everyone, it creates this huge Petrie dish of results, and we learn from it and evolve in real time.

The ODG’s were true marksman in there day at that given point in history, as is ours is of today.
I know that if you could bring back one of the top shooters from the 1874 Creedmoor match and give him the equipment and components we have today he would even be a better shooter, I’m sure of that.
Then if you take, let’s say Dave Gullo, and send him back to 1874 and he can ONLY use what was available then for equipment and supplies, would he be unbeatable?
I just don’t know. He’s a darn good shot, way better than I am, but let him put on a pair of 1874 bifocals and see how he does with that equipment.