flintlock vs musket?

[scottprice]

Guys when friends of mine (usually people who dont hunt or shoot at all) ask me about my CVA Mountain Rifle, i am kind of at a loss for a good explanation. I explain that you load them from the muzzle, how ignition works, how the cleaning process in more in depth, limited range etc etc...i also throw in "its basically a musket like you learned about back in school"

So, what is the real difference between a flintlock and a musket?

 

[Dwight Rutherford]

I believe smoothbore defines musket. Flintlock defines the method of ignition.

 

[Coot]

"Flintlock" only describes the ignition system. A musket, a pistol, a fowling piece or a rifle can all be "a flintlock" or not as all have been made in both flint and percussion. "Musket" typically refers to a smoothbore military longarm, long, sturdy & made to accept a bayonet. (Realizing that some smoothbore muskets were rifled after the Minie came out (thus a "rifled musket" and that some CW vintage guns were originally made as rifled muskets (thus a rifle musket) but we now get past intro level information).

 

[AZbpBurner]

A musket can be a flintlock, but not all flintlocks are muskets, even though the ignition principle is the same.

A flintlock musket is smoothbore, same as a shotgun bore, while a flintlock rifle, has a rifled barrel. Both will load a patched roundball the same way, and generally, smoothbore muskets are larger caliber bore than rifles.

 

[scottprice]

great information guys! thanks a lot

 

[cynthialee]

I do believe that a Musket is any standard issue long firearm issued to the troops as a duty weapon. Thus the modern battle rifles could probably be called muskets in this context.
That most guns issued to soldiers back in the day were smooth bore is how the term got applied to smoothbores.
But there were riffled muskets.

 

[Wes/Tex]

The whole thing can be a head-scratcher. What's above is pretty much the story. My only addition is that most terminology changed from "musket" to something else when barrel length hit about 33". shortened muskets got branded "musketoons", "carbines" or other labels depending on usage, rifled or smooth, etc. till you wanted to tear out your hair. Just keep plowing through...I promise it'll start making sense with time, then you'll get cocky and you'll be able to say, "Ooh, I stepped in something gooood!" :wink: :rotf: