i bet the supplier's message was a bit patchy. :) (hope that humor translates into portugese ;))

anyway, rapid fire for the napoleonic rifled musket (and reg. musket) was possible without using a patch.

see the video here: location: northern portugal with wellington ;)

what makes a good soldier? "The ability to fire three rounds a minute in any weather", Captain R. sharpe, talavera, july 1809
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...treloading.mp4 <-click the image

hi:

The two rifled muskets used in the Napoleonic wars were with Calepino (patch). On the English side, the Baker Rifle was fitted with a bullet and patch sewn on the French side, the rifle of Versailles (Versailles carabine) also with patch.

The English continued to use the Calepino (patch) on percussion. The rifle Brunswic. had a round bullet belt with stitched patch

Affectionately. Fernando K

(Sorry for the translator)

..and they were not the easiest things to reload due to the tight fit, especially when they were fouled by sustained fire which further reduced the windage. some required a hammer to seat the fresh charge. i've heard the brunswick was especially contrary if fouled. some soldiers would do field cleaning by urinating down the barrel to clear the fouling. smooth bore muskets had more leaway.


then some bright spark invented the hollow based ogiveal pointed cylinder of lead we call the miné ball, which didn't require a cloth patch. they were also made up into paper cartridges using however nitrated paper which would combust as they were fired (i've made and fired these myself in a rifled percussion musket, also used cloth patched round balls in a .36 kentucky long rifle, used with a patch knife). early minés had a metal cup in the base, but it was found to be unnecessary, and actually would occasionally fire thru the bullet, leaving the main part stuck in the barrel, gain, requiring the screw, or if the hole was too big, an armourer.

the 19c was a huge experiment in bullet shapes, jackets, rifling styles well into the switch to smokeless powder which cured the worst of the fouling problems, and breech loaders that solved most of the other joys of muzzle loaders. including having to stand in lines to reload, breech loaders could thankfully be reloaded in the prone position, tho generals were slow to realise the days of the three rank volley fire were obsolete. (the famous rourke's drift saw the great majority of zulus killed hundreds of yards away. the movie took great dramatic license. the main body at islandwana didn't fair as well tho with their lines)

the video was not meant to show the 'official' regulation reload, but a battlefield expedient. the spat ball world have reduced power, but at close range, it didn't matter as much. the aim ws to get the lead down field as quick as possible to break the french columns.

Well, it was only partly patchy. I already knew about the windage (wind=vento in portuguese), by reading about it several years ago in a rare Portuguese book on portable firearms (published in 1887) that i was lucky to acquire. But one thing is theory and the other is practice. In other words, i should have given it a second thought before i complained on the 'abnormality'; wouldn't have played the fool :shrug:


It seems as the video depicts a scene in (the battle of) Talavera, before defeating the French. This is near Toledo, well inside Spain.

Sharpe managed to be sharp enough to press his soldiers into a Guiness record of loading velocity. Other strategies, those coming from above him, drove the allies to final success.
But these are old stories :cool: