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98 points surprisetalk | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.751s | source
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roter ◴[] No.44005946[source]
There is also the theory that the British just had more practice at gunnery and sailhandling while blockading the French/Spanish in the various ports.
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IAmBroom ◴[] No.44006168[source]
Which leads to the theory of why the USS Constitution was so superior to British ships.

The Americans drilled daily with live cannon, while the British drilled less often, and without live fire (presumably to conserve powder and balls).

As an unsurprising result, American crews were more experienced at reloading under the duress of cannonade. The sound on the gun decks was so great it would burst eardrums. The smoke made it too hard to see anything a few feet from the portals.

If you've never been near a gunpowder cannon fire, it's hard to comprehend the surreal rupture of reality it causes in your perception. I was to the side, but in front, of one. My world went black, then lightening values of gray. Sound returned. Then people appeared in the fog, moving with their arms out trying to get away blindly from the threat they perceived (that was already over).

Without proper training, new sailors will stumble badly in their first firefight, and each man on the gundeck is crucial to a team. The officers were outside the deck, so they could receive orders. If you can't load your cannon while blind and deaf, your cannon sits quiet a long time.

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sklargh ◴[] No.44006324[source]
My first time hearing 5.56 fire when I incidentally had ear pro off was shocking. Cannot imagine what a gun deck was like in the age of sail.
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lowbloodsugar ◴[] No.44008560[source]
Dude was using a shotgun in an indoor range next to me and the air pressure was so bad I had to move. Pressure against my whole body.
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1. bee_rider ◴[] No.44009371[source]
Seems rude.

Is it typical to use a shotgun in an indoor range? I thought shotguns were for killing clay pigeons.

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2. bluGill ◴[] No.44009772[source]
There are indoor clay pigeon ranges. Though I'm guessing it was a shotgun shooting a slug which acts like any other gun (as opposed to shot which spreads and so wouldn't be useful at most ranges since you would hit your neighbor's target as well)
3. potato3732842 ◴[] No.44010092[source]
First off, most indoor ranges don't allow shotgun target loads and slugs are $$$ so people don't typically shoot them indoors.

It's not explicitly rude but depending on the exact circumstances it's kind of pushing it to shoot 12ga and full power rifle rounds at indoor recreational ranges. Like don't do it on Saturday morning when it's busy and everyone is their with their wife or kids or whatever. Anything with enough concussion to be obnoxious to other shooters is sus.