Musket timeline

[William Brand]

I understand if this subject is moved to Twill, but this forum also seemed appropriate.

In the interest of serving myself and others on multiple fronts, perhaps we could use a good timeline of muskets with images and historical references for each. I've seen my share of them on various vendor sites, but I also know that the replicas available and the times they represent are sometimes debated. For example, I've seen and heard different years place on the Brown Bess. I'm looking into the purchase of my first musket ever, so the topic is especially important to me. I want to see it all, from Russian to French firearms and back again.

[Cascabel]

That would be a pretty tall order to give complete info, short of writing a book. For instance, the Brown Bess, more properly called the Land Pattern musket (as opposed to the Sea Service musket), was produced in many "official" variations as improvements and cost reductions evolved from the 1720's up to the 1790's. All of the variations may be referred to as Brown Besses.

French muskets followed a similar evolutionary process, as did military issued pieces in other European countries. There was considerable overlap in designs, with the more recent improved models being issued after earlier models were depleted in the arsenals. Usually the older models were issued to troops on foreign service.

There was quite a bit of overlap in ignition types in the early years in the non-military world, with early and more recent types used side by side. There are also regional preferences, for instance, the long popularity of miquelet style flintlocks in Spain, Italy, and the Balkan area. Another regional difference was the long use of various types of doglock among the English, when the French and others had gone over to the more standard type of flintlock.

>>>>> Cascabel

[William Brand]

I confess...it was too broad a statement. Let's discuss the period from 1690 to 1720, just to narrow the scope a bit. This should easily cover enough muskets for my interest, though I'll except any recommended replicas going back to 1670.

[Hawkyns]

Well, you are looking at a vety transitional period. The matchlock is still in service with the British army, the doglock is very common in British and Dutch circles, and the flintlock is rising fast, especially in areas of French influence.

Here is a doglock musket of the right period. http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers.com/doglockmusk.html

Note the wooden rammer and the sharp curve to the lock plate, the so called banana lock. Both are common features at this time.

Here is the French version, still with a wooden rammer, but not so much curve to the lock plate. Note. also. the sharp drop of the stock to the buttplate. http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers.com/16...;sfrmarine.html

The Brown Bess, correctly called the King's Arm, is outside your parameters, since the first model was not dated until 1728.

A late 17th C matchlock is here http://www.albionsmallarms.co.uk/ASAGraphi...handdoglock.jpg

Note the stock is more like a modern gunstock than the fishbutt of the earlier century. The lockplate now has the shape of a flintlock musket, rather than the earlier rectaangular plate.

These are your three basics of that period. Of course there are carbine variants, musketoons, blunderbusses, dragons, etc with similar lock styles. Any of the earlier arms would still be in service, of course. Much of the decision depends on whether you want a state of the art weapon for the period, a weapon that has seen some service, but been acauired later in it's life, or a piece that has been cobbled together from leftover or unbroken parts. One thing that I have noticed among re-enactors is that, no matter the status, wealth, or position of the re-enactor, they tend to have the most modern, fancy, expensive gun, which is kept in new, shiny bright condition. To me, it is a jarring image that beleis the fact that the majority of people in the period were on the lower end of society and would have what they could acquire, no matter how ugly, stained, and dinged. JMHO.

Hawkyns

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Check out the Rifle Shoppe link too. There are also Spanish arms that are awesome and spot on for the period listed there, with historical background info. The link is posted over on the Wheel-lock thread, courtesy of Blackjohn;

http://www.therifleshoppe.com/Catalog.htm

Bo

Edited December 15, 2008 by Capt. Bo of the WTF co.

[blackjohn]

Ha! Great minds think alike.

I just popped over there to their site to grab the url and by the time I got back you had posted it.

http://www.therifleshoppe.com/order%20a%20catalog.htm

It really is a great book. It's like... part history book, part Xmas catalog. I can't recommend it enough.

I could sit and ogle the escopta section all day...