"Cartridge or separate powder and ball for pistols?" Topic

My wife is writing a scene for a novel set in mid-eighteenth century France. She's unclear about a detail that she is determined to get right.

Would a soldier in 1755 (or a smuggler or other outlaw familiar with firearms) be likely to have:

A) a preprepared cartridge ready to tear open and pour in the powder, then ram the ball and paper home?*

B) a powder horn to pour in the powder before ramming in the ball as was the case earlier?

I know that later, Jäger etc carried the powder horn as a sign of elite status but I don't know when this changed from being an essential item.

What she has learned is that he would have a cartouchier pouch. Would it contain: 1) beeswax coated paper cartridges?

2) cartridge paper, balls, black powder, and maybe a small amount of 'buckshot'?

3) something else?

Would it be normal to have a bunch of cartridges made up or would that risk the powder getting damp?

I realised I'm not entirely clear about this. I think I assumed I knew until I was pinned down on the detail.

Thanks,
John

To parce elements of the scenario into what I think the question was meant to be…

Anyone in this period wielding a pistol would carry it loaded and ready to go. As it would be a single shot muzzle loader, once fired, it would be put aside to be reloaded when the peril was over.

Soldiers would not normally carry pistols.

Broadening the scope of the scenario admits too many confounding variables to make generalizations.

Thanks for the reply. The fact that the pistol would be carried preloaded is helpful.

The scenario involves an out of work soldier and a smuggler (who has two pistols). The main question is, in order to reload, would it be from a pre-made cartridge or separate powder and ball at this time (1755).

Cheers,
John

My understanding is the paper cartridge was pretty standard in the military by that time frame. A soldier would have the prepared cartridges.

The first load before the combat, should have been more lovingly prepared. Leather patch, etc.
Anything reloaded in the chaos of a melee wouldn't be as accurate.

The guy is an ex-soldier, as a soldier he would have had cartridges issued to him, now he's back in civilian life he is no longer issued them so has to do his own thing. IMO that would be loose powder in some sort of flask with Esperanto wads and balls, and like OFM says he would load it before he went anywhere he thought he might need it.

Combat reloads with a pistol effectively don't exist in this time period. Once you've emptied your pistols you are either running away (first choice for a smuggler), or running in with a hand weapon (probably means you've got a score to settle and this is personal).

Robert

I recently read a rather well researched eighteenth century Novel, and the first thing our hero did on buying a pistol was make up a dozen cartridges with some cartridge paper.

Thanks very much everyone. That has been very helpful to my wife.

Cheers,
John

E.J.,

Please let us know when the novel is published. Might be interested in reading it.
Thank you.
Craig

Either one is acceptable and plausible. A pistol would typically be loaded with a single ball.

You only have a cartridge pouch if you have cartridges. I see a civilian most likely having a powder horn and ball bag. A bad guy out for a night's work *might* have a cartridge or two tolling around in their coat pocket.

She'll acknowledge TMP in her credits :~)

Rustymusket – will do. It could take about a year from completion, assuming the publisher goes ahead.

The character she's had in mind is the actual historical figure Louis Mandrin, kind of a French 'Robin Hood' who had been a soldier in the French army and formed a band of salt (and other goods) smugglers. It's not about him but he is present early on.

Cheers,
John