Tango01 | 24 Jun 2015 3:23 p.m. PST |
"The flintlock or firelock musket is one of the truly iconic weapons in history: first used on the battlefields of the Thirty Years' War and the English Civil War, it was carried by both sides at Bunker Hill, Waterloo and the Alamo, and can truly be said to have dominated warfare for more than 150 years, until the advent of cartridge ammunition and breechloading weapons in the 1840s and 1850s and were still being widely used as late as the American Civil War in the 1860s. During the 18th century flintlocks tended to follow one of two basic patterns: from 1722 the British .75-calibre model, the 'Brown Bess', offered better man-stopping qualities and influenced the Prussians and others, while from 1717 the lighter, handier but more sturdy French .69-calibre Charleville served as a pattern first for the other Bourbon kingdoms such as Spain, then the American Springfield family of weapons, and finally for just about everybody else in Europe during the Napoleonic era. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this engaging study examines the role played by the flintlock in close-order combat on European and other battlefields, employing first-hand accounts to show how tactical doctrines were successfully developed to overcome the weapon's inherent limitations; it also explores the use of the flintlock musket by individuals in irregular warfare, chiefly in North America. These two threads are combined in an analysis of the weapon's lasting impact; notwithstanding its frequently negative portrayal in popular films and otherwise respectable histories, it was extremely effective and the first truly universal soldier's weapon." See here link Amicalement Armand |
14Bore | 24 Jun 2015 4:25 p.m. PST |
Thanks Armand I want this one. |
cmdr kevin | 24 Jun 2015 8:18 p.m. PST |
I own a reproduction Springfield. Its a fine weapon, most reliable and slightly handier than the Bess. Easier to strip and clean than the Bess. |
ochoin | 24 Jun 2015 8:36 p.m. PST |
I was at the Guard's Museum in London a few weeks ago & they had a pile of Waterloo musket balls from a Brown Bess sitting next to a pile of French Charleville ones. I was aware that the British projectiles were bigger but seeing it really drives the point home. The Brown Bess balls are monsters. |
IronDuke596 | 25 Jun 2015 9:38 a.m. PST |
Unfortunately, this Osprey will not be released until Jan 19, 2016. |
Tango01 | 25 Jun 2015 10:46 a.m. PST |
A votre service mon ami!. (smile) Amicalement Armand |
14Bore | 25 Jun 2015 2:50 p.m. PST |
I have a Italian Brown Bess replica and it's about 35 years old. It's a hoot to fire off a dozen shots, and serious work to clean it afterward. |
spontoon | 26 Jun 2015 5:11 p.m. PST |
Long and intimate experience with both these weapons! True, the Charleville is easier to clean; but the Bess has lots of brass! The universality of weaponry in this period is what attracts me to it. No super weapons! |
John Miller | 27 Jun 2015 3:14 p.m. PST |
I was fortunate enough to have fired an original Waters flintlock, (which I now own), back in the 50's and it was a great experiance for a young kid. I think it was this kind of thing that ignited my passion for the horse & musket era. Guess I'll have to get this book too. So many books, so little time! Thanks Tango, John Miller |
von Winterfeldt | 30 Jun 2015 12:45 p.m. PST |
there wasn't a thing such as a Charleville this is modern re-enactor FARB – it was simply a fusil d'infanterie where Charleville was one of many places where it was produced. Of course a book title like Brown Bess and fusil d'infantry doesn't sound so good. I had a Brown Bess and a Saint Etienne – I very much preferred the later one. |
Gunfreak | 04 Jul 2015 1:37 p.m. PST |
When you get past .55 i doubt it makes much difference if you get shot. I remember reading Duffy's prussias glory. About a small assault on some cannon, and how at point blank range, the wounds from muskets look like wounds from small caliber cannons. (Acording to a prussian officer ) |
Brechtel198 | 06 Jul 2015 2:42 p.m. PST |
As the French regulation became the standard issue for the Continental Army from 1777-1778, it became known in the United States as the Charleville, from one of the places where the musket was manufactured. So, in effect, the Charleville did exist. The American 1795 Springfield musket was a copy of the French Charleville. |