Post; Loading the Flintlock Musket

RVN67-68 · April 2nd, 2007

Hi:

I have several military flintlock muskets and shoot them regularly. The loading process is as follows:

- Half cock the peice
- Open pan (push frizzen forward to open flash pan)
- Handle cartridge (grasp paper cartridge and with bullet end down, bite or tear paper to expose powder. Obviously one tears the cartridge end opposit the ball.
- Shake a small amount of powder into flash pan (to prime piece).
- Close pan cover.
- Cast musket about (place musket butt on the ground with muzzle up).
- Charge cartridge (dump remaining powder charge into the barrel of the piece). Press ball into barrel followed by paper from cartridge.
- Withdraw rammer (remove ramrod from the pipes beneath the barrel).
- Ram down cartridge (smartly--but carefully-ram cartrige into barrel).
- Return rammer (replace ramrod into pipes beneath the barrel).
Full cock piece--persent--fire.

I have a Baker Rifle as well as a Tower Musket (Short Land Pattern--aka "Brown Bess") that I shoot all the time. the instructions above are for the Brown Bess. Loading a FlInt Rifle is a bit more time consuming and complex.

The basic information is documented in:

Wilber, C. (1993). The Revolutionary Soldier 1775-1783. The Globe Press, Old Saybrook, CT.

April 2nd, 2007
RVN67-68 Tirones	Post; Loading the Flintlock Musket Hi: I have several military flintlock muskets and shoot them regularly. The loading process is as follows: - Half cock the peice - Open pan (push frizzen forward to open flash pan) - Handle cartridge (grasp paper cartridge and with bullet end down, bite or tear paper to expose powder. Obviously one tears the cartridge end opposit the ball. - Shake a small amount of powder into flash pan (to prime piece). - Close pan cover. - Cast musket about (place musket butt on the ground with muzzle up). - Charge cartridge (dump remaining powder charge into the barrel of the piece). Press ball into barrel followed by paper from cartridge. - Withdraw rammer (remove ramrod from the pipes beneath the barrel). - Ram down cartridge (smartly--but carefully-ram cartrige into barrel). - Return rammer (replace ramrod into pipes beneath the barrel). Full cock piece--persent--fire. I have a Baker Rifle as well as a Tower Musket (Short Land Pattern--aka "Brown Bess") that I shoot all the time. the instructions above are for the Brown Bess. Loading a FlInt Rifle is a bit more time consuming and complex. The basic information is documented in: Wilber, C. (1993). The Revolutionary Soldier 1775-1783. The Globe Press, Old Saybrook, CT.