Thursday, September 19, 2013

Brown Bess musket


An X ray of a 1769 Brown Bess musket recovered from a shipwreck, and showing that the old musket was loaded with buck and ball.  Repel boarders?  Indeed it would!

4 comments:

  1. As a proud Brown Bess owner and shooter (of about 30 years now), I can tell you that the .75 caliber patched round ball is a game changer at close range (no sights - - you aim over the rear tang screw and the bayonet lug). Add buckshot and it's downright lethal.

    Usually a buck-and-ball load was the first shot because it took longer to load for repeat shots in a combat setting. At Breed's Hill (Bunker Hill) they loaded with buck-and-ball until the ammo ran out and flat wiped out the British in their efforts to move the patriots with the bayonet.

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