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"Good videos on the effects of muskets?" Topic


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Au pas de Charge21 Jan 2019 8:03 p.m. PST

Anyone have a good video to recommend which shows the sort of damage and penetration a musket from 1750-1815 could produce?

Nine pound round21 Jan 2019 8:16 p.m. PST
Au pas de Charge21 Jan 2019 8:22 p.m. PST

Very nice and I'll check that out. However, I was more interested in a quasi-scientific demonstration. One that shows the sort of holes the balls made and how they penetrate wood or a cow carcass or something like that.

JimDuncanUK22 Jan 2019 10:44 a.m. PST

Didn't see much in the way of musketry in that clip but there was some quasi artillery fire.

historygamer22 Jan 2019 11:52 a.m. PST

Somewhere out there, there might be some video of a recreation of what damage was done when musket balls went through log palisades like those used at Fort Necessity.

I'm not aware of any penetration tests, but there are also some distance/hit videos out there, perhaps by the King's 8th Regt.

14Bore23 Jan 2019 4:34 p.m. PST

What do you want to know if a Brown Bess ball will see if it goes through?
Its not going through any sizable log by itself, maybe hundreds will whittle it down a bit.

14Bore23 Jan 2019 4:44 p.m. PST

youtu.be/cTnAg5U1UV

I fired mine at a anti ballistic board and it didn't penetrate the same as all pistol rounds haven't.

von Schwartz23 Jan 2019 7:28 p.m. PST

Fired both replicas Brown Bess and typical fowling piece used by the Continental militias, both fired a very large, low velocity ball, not much penetration but the sheer mass of the ball at 100 paces would be enough to put most men down.
Also, check old episodes of "Myth Busters" they did a lot of firearms penetration tests as did a short lived series hosted by the late R. Lee Ermey, I don't recall the name, that specialized in testing old and contemporary weapons. Usually against R. Lee's arch nemesis, the sly and elusive watermelon.

von Schwartz04 Feb 2019 5:29 p.m. PST

How about this, typical musket with standard load will penetrate 3-4 inches of pine board at 200m. What more do you really need to know?

Lion in the Stars04 Feb 2019 8:29 p.m. PST

12-gauge shotgun slug makes a reasonable facsimile of a musket these days. Muzzle velocity of ~1200feet per second, and usually a 1oz slug. Yes, that's going to be a bit light for a Brown Bess, a bit heavy for an 1853 Enfield.

LORDGHEE04 Feb 2019 11:55 p.m. PST
Personal logo deadhead Supporting Member of TMP05 Feb 2019 6:46 a.m. PST

Those YouTube links are just brilliant. that poor Marine marksman in the first, Niagara, one did take some stick from the comments section.


Snag with YouTube is that it is too easy to spend ages then following whatever appears on that right hand column. After several deleted scenes from "Fury" and Chieftain crawling through tanks, my afternoon is half over.


You put a lot of effort into finding all these. Much appreciated.

GrenadierAZ14 Feb 2019 5:07 p.m. PST

1. There were no videos made between 1750 and 1815.
2. There probably aren't any modern videos of people being shot with muskets because it would be criminal unless the shooting was an accident, and if the shooting were an accident it probably would not be caught on video.
3. I don't want to see a video of the effects of musketry.

historygamer15 Feb 2019 6:39 a.m. PST

There was that series done on the AHC (formerly the Military Channel) with the former USAF Para-rescue guy who demonstrated using all kinds of weapons. You might want to see if anything from one of his shows is what you are looking for.

Au pas de Charge15 Feb 2019 9:38 a.m. PST

@LORDGHEE

Those YouTube link videos are just the thing.

@GrenadierAZ

I saw a youtube video where someone tested medieval weapons on a pig carcass. YouTube link


Maybe there are videos of people shooting some similarly expired animal such as a cow or a deer?

14Bore15 Feb 2019 12:50 p.m. PST

I am not one for deer meat but always thought what it would be to go deer hunting with my Brown Bess, I think would need to get within 60 yards but that would be a good test.

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