Muskets Facts

Link to blog post about Accuracy of 18th C Weapons  Fort Niagra NY

Comparison of load time for Musket v Rifleman (video)- Yorktown Va

Muzzle velocity depended on the gunpowder quality and the musket caliber in question, but on average, it was around 365m/sec.

In a test with an original British Long Land Pattern musket firing a service standard .69 cal ball, it was found to have an impact velocity of around 275m/sec ( or 617 miles per sec ) at 91m (100 yards). A test using ballistic gelatin with two layers of broadcloth and serge to represent a uniform coat and waistcoat and a layer of linen to represent a shirt on the front and back of the gelatin blocks was conducted. It was found that the ball was able to completely pass through .82 meters of gelatin, and both the front and back layers of cloth represented a uniform. The weave and weight of the different layers of cloth were representative of historical examples used in uniforms of the period.

Spain also provided around 10,000 up to 12,000 muskets to the American rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Most muskets were lethal up to about 175 yards but were only “accurate” to about 100 yards, with tactics dictating volleys be fired at 25 to 50 yards. Because a portion of the powder in a cartridge was used to prime the pan, it was impossible to ensure that a standard amount of powder was used in each shot.

The Charleville musket

 A .69 caliber standard French infantry musket used in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was made in 1717 and was last produced during the 1840s.

the first standard flintlock musket to be issued to all French troops. While it is more correctly called a French infantry musket or a French pattern musket, these muskets later became known as "Charleville muskets", after the armory in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, France

The Charleville's 0.69-inch (17.5 mm) caliber barrel was slightly smaller than its main competitor, the 0.75-inch caliber Brown Bess produced by the British. The smaller round was intentionally chosen to reduce weight in the field, but still had enough mass to be effective as a military round. The Charleville's stock was usually made out of walnut.

Charleville musket

Mass- 10 pounds (4.5 kg)

Length-60 inches (1,500 mm)

Barrel length-45 inches (1,100 mm)

Cartridge- Musket ball undersized (.65/16.510 mm) .67 cal  to reduce the effects of powder fouling, paper cartridgeCaliber

Calibre -.69 (17.526 mm)

Action-Flintlock/percussion lock (conversion)

Rate of fire-User dependent; usually 2 to 3 rounds a minute

Muzzle velocity -1,000 to 1,200 ft/s (300 to 370 m/s)

Effective firing range- 100 yards

Maximum firing range-300 yd (270 m)[1]

Feed system-Muzzle-loaded

Sights- A front sight cast into the upper barrel band

1752 Pattern Spanish Musket

1700, a new king came to the throne (Philip V) who was of French descent. Styles started changing in all things including weapons. The model 1700 Infantry Musket was updated with the new French style lock in 1718, which was very similar to the 1717 French Infantry Musket lock but without internal and external bridles which were added in 1722. A new Infantry musket came out in 1752 which was a compilation of the best features of the earlier muskets (Spanish and French). The new muskets were iron mounted, with a wooden rammer, until 1755 when steel ramrods were adopted. Then in 1757 the furniture was changed to brass. The barrel is 43" octagon to round in .69 caliber.

Used from 1752 until mid 1800’s

Mass- 11 pounds (5.5 kg)

Length-57inches (1,500 mm)

Barrel length-43.31 inches (1,100 mm)

Cartridge- Musket ball undersized (.65/16.510 mm) .67 cal  to reduce the effects of powder fouling, paper cartridgeCaliber

Calibre -.69 (17.526 mm)

Action-Flintlock/percussion lock (conversion)

Rate of fire-User dependent; usually 2 to 3 rounds a minute

Muzzle velocity -1,000 to 1,200 ft/s (300 to 370 m/s)

Effective firing range- 100 yards

Maximum firing range-300 yd (270 m)[1]

Feed system-Muzzle-loaded

Sights-