Seeing as how it was about this day 123 years ago that the Zulus withdrew from the mission station at Rorke's Drift, I took it upon myself to don my foreign service helmet and put a half-dozen "fat-boys" through the old BSA Mk. II* .577-450 Martini. Load was 92 grains Fg drop-tubed, with wonderwad, then card wad and a 480-grain .459 bullet seated to slightly compress. Brass was NDFS. I found that when I shouted "Front rank, fire!" just before letting go, I always hit the gong. Recoil was just right: a good thump, but not in any way brutal.
One needs some whimsy in one's life, although there was certainly none that January in 1879.

Jolly good show, old boy; do you sing bass. We need a good bass. Ku-dude

Thank God the Scots were in the contingent at Rorke's Drift to inspire the English solders to hold rank!

http://www.clandouglassociety.org

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NRA Life member

I thought they were Welsh?

In the movie "Zulu", that final confrontation with the lines of soldiers on the mealie bag ramparts volley shooting by ranks has to "rank" right up with some of the most heart thumping scenes ever filmed.

"...Welshmen, will not yield!"

(Not pitting one Anglo against the other , just reminiscing about a great movie. My ancestry is Scottish-Irish.)

Kudos my good man!

Bill,
Remember that .577 Snider I purchased last Nov? (Thanks again for your help) I took it down to AL deer hunting and killed a deer with it. I was using a 535gr Coyote' HB bullet. Unfortunately, in the river bottoms where we hunted, she jumped 4 river channels and 5 islands before we lost the blood trail :-( I really wanted to get that deer with my 130yr old Snidey. I had to apply Kentucky Windage big time with her since I have not developed a good load (10yds= 3"low-1"right, 20yds= 6"low-3"right, 30yds= 1.5'low-11"right, ect.) After that I put away the 'toys' (.577 Snider, .50 AE Carbine, Harrington & Richardson .45-70 with a 32" barrel and 405gr hard cast bullets) and brought out the Syndero .300 Win Mag with the Leupold.

Sometimes 'normal' guns are boring.

BMG

Jim, is that movie called "Zulu Dawn"?

I just found one on ebay, and am sending the check out today.

Rick.

Rick: "Zulu Dawn" is a watchable film about the disaster at Isandhlwana, where the Zulu impis overran the British camp while Lord Chelmsford was forward on a scout. The British lost 1,500 men or so that day, the Zulus at least 2,000. Only about 55 Brits survived. The impis then swept down on Rorke's Drift, where the small garrison, the Martini and a dose of pluck allowed them to hold the mission station. This latter action is depicted in the movie "Zulu" with Stanley Baker, and introducing a young British actor named Michael Caine.