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Monadnock Hiker
Colonial Militia
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
August 31 2017
Status: offline
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Fitzhugh Williams
Mohicanland Statesman
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
July 17 2005
Status: offline
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 Posted - March 10 2021 : 07:31:06 AM
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Each year at Fort Toulouse there is a competition in various things, one of which is loading and firing three rounds. The winning time is usually around 45 seconds. Most are between 45 sec and one minute. Also they do "bayonet the swinging melon", "stab the swinging melon with a sword", and tomahawk throwing. I won the sword competition one year.
In the British army of the Napoleonic era, there was a trial performed to see how fast the Brown Bess could be fired. They were able to fire it 5 times a minute. This was done by not ramming the ball. They used a .69 ball in a .75 barrel so fouling would not be an issue. to seat the ball they struck the butt of the gun on the ground three times. Of course this didn't make for great accuracy, but volume is what they wanted. And when you fired by companies, you would have a volley coming at the enemy every 2 seconds for a 6 company battalion. Must have been quite a site if you were on the other side. |
"Les deux pieds contre la muraille et la tete sous le robinet" |
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Monadnock Hiker
Colonial Militia
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
August 31 2017
Status: offline
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Posted - March 10 2021 : 10:16:40 AM
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| It looks like (I've never fired one of those) you could indeed get off three rounds - but for how long??? It looks like a LOT of work "firing at that rate". - If The Fort here "has a group" having that type of competition - I'm definitely going. |
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Fitzhugh Williams
Mohicanland Statesman
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
July 17 2005
Status: offline
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Posted - March 11 2021 : 08:07:28 AM
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| In the British trials (in a book on late 18th century armies) the person doing the shooting was a sergeant who was well trained in the exercise. He got off 5 shots in the first minute, then it quickly dropped to 3-per-minute. At 25 shots, the barrel was too hot to hold, so he held the gun by the sling. At 37 shots the trial was stopped for fear the rounds would "cook off" by themselves when the were poured down the barrel. At some battles, I think Waterloo was one, the barrels got so hot them soldiers would piss on them to try and cool them. I have found at reenactments I can fire about 15 rounds and I cannot touch the barrel. And that is with no ball to increase the pressure inside the barrel. |
"Les deux pieds contre la muraille et la tete sous le robinet" |
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Monadnock Hiker
Colonial Militia
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
August 31 2017
Status: offline
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Fitzhugh Williams
Mohicanland Statesman
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
July 17 2005
Status: offline
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Posted - March 12 2021 : 08:21:18 AM
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| The soldier doing the firing looks like Ryan Clark who was at Fort Niagara. Looks like he needs to knap his flint, or replace it. But sometimes the frizzen is too soft, or too hard, or the surface hardening (done with Kasenit) wears through. As far as firing in the rain, at Ticonderoga I was able to fire 33 rounds in a driving rain storm. I just kept the frizzen under my arm pit when not actually firing so it would stay dry. |
"Les deux pieds contre la muraille et la tete sous le robinet" |
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![The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]](images/wwwboard.gif "The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]")
Brown Bess - Three shots in 46 seconds ...
