Part I
I have often wondered how much the “legendary” accuracy of the rifle in 1776 had to do with how inaccurate the period Military Musket was? Of course I’m talking in comparison to the “King’s Arm” that we today call the Brown Bess, because that was the musket the majority of British Americans (Colonial Americans) would have compared rifles against until the French started supplying Muskets in the mid Rev War period.
Here were some of the major “period problems” with Brown Bess Musket accuracy:
1. Bore size. While the bore was usually known/recorded as “.75 cal” and in a very few instances .76 cal., testing done on original muskets in the Tower and more recently the Royal Armouries in Leeds of original muskets show the bore sizes actually ranged from .76 cal. to .80 cal.
2. Ball size. The standard ball size for the paper wrapped cartridges averaged .67 to .69 caliber. Though the wadded up paper wrapped cartridges took care of some of the “windage” or difference in the ball to bore size, that meant the ball size to bore size varied from “as little as” .070” to as much as .130.” That alone would have greatly harmed uniform accuracy. (Side note: For many years in this country, excavated musket balls were incorrectly described as “French” due to their size being small enough to fit French Muskets. This was corrected in areas such bullets were found and ONLY British Muskets were used and by checking some original molds.)
3. Trigger Pull Weight. I specifically asked members of the British International Muzzle Loading Team at two World Championships at Wedgnock, UK in the mid 90’s if they had checked trigger pulls on the original muskets, as they had checked bore sizes. They admitted they had not and most probably because most shooters have the trigger pulls lessened for International Shooting, even on original firearms. The British Team members most familiar with original Brown Bess muskets estimated the average trigger pull at 10 lbs or more. My own testing of reproduction Brown Bess muskets shows they average 10 to 14 lb trigger pulls. Even a 10 lb trigger is a LOT to fight against when trying to get the best accuracy.
4. The way the trigger was pulled. Even though British and American troops were beginning to be taught to AIM during the French and Indian War and was common practice in the American Revolution, the problem of inherent inaccuracy came about when they fired in volleys. To get those nice, crisp, military sounding volley fires where the volley sounds like one musket being fired – DEMANDS every soldier JERK THE DICKENS out of the trigger. That inevitably results in shooting HIGH and often right over top of the opposing soldiers UNLESS one “aims” at the crotch or even the knees (at close range) of the opposing soldier. As late as the American Civil War, volley firing continued to throw shots over the heads of opposing soldiers MOST of the time.
No wonder period accounts say that maximum Musket Range was 60 to no more than 80 yards to reliably hit an opposing soldier and that may have only been a hit in the leg or arm!!!
I spent 23 years of doing “trigger jobs” on original and reproduction Un-Civil War guns at the Spring and Fall National Championships for the North South Skirmish Association. Here are the average weights of trigger pull on original guns: British Enfield Rifle Muskets 8 to 10 lbs, Springfield and American made rifle muskets 10 to 12 lbs, Pattern 1816/22 muskets 10 to 14 lbs, Smith Carbines 18 to 27 lbs. Now compare that to the M1 Garand or M14 trigger pull weight of 4 ½ to 7 ½ lbs where most rifles averaged 5 ½ to 6 ½ lbs when new. Springfield M1903 rifles averaged 4 to 5 lbs. When one gets a trigger on a musket or rifled musket down to a RELIABLE 4 lb trigger, the difference in feel and accuracy potential is SUBSTANTIAL.
What I don’t know is the “average” trigger pull weight of an original American Long Rifle that did not have a set trigger of some sort. Not even sure if we can come up with an average. However, if the average trigger pull was 4 to 5 lbs, then that gives a substantial advantage in practical accuracy to a Longrifle user.
Gus
