muzzle velocity of musket

[BlueL]

Hello,

Have you any historical report of muzzle velocity of longland pattern musket or charleville musket?

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I had a Long Land Pattern until a few months ago. I shot a militia patched ball load not the ill fitting paper cartridge. My bore was about .770
so I used a 750 round ball and 10 thousand patching with 100 grains of Goex Cartridge a hi test 2F. I was getting around 1240 FPS on the crony. I am sure the historical paper cartridge loads were less.

 

[gjkershul]

Russel in "Firearms and Tools of the Mountain Men" at p. 86 lists the US Model 1835 Musket .69- a modification of the Charleville- with a 42 in barrel and shooting 110 grains of Musket powder as producing a velocity of 1,500 ft/sec. The footnote references this velocity as being recorded using a balistic pendulum in 1843 and cites Mordecai "Ordnace Manual"p. 367.

The "Ordnace Manual" has been referenced in other posts on the Muzzleloading Forum as being from 1857 if I recall correctly.

 

[gjkershul]

Correction The Ordnace Manual is dated 1861.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

That 1500 fps seems rather high. The first edition Lyman book lists a .715" ball and .020" patch in a .747" bore with 110 grains 2f as doing 1047 fps and with 150 grains at 1213 fps.

 

[Frank/Pa]

I think the key question here is: What was the standard powder charge that was used in these weapons, and what is the historical data to support it.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

All I was going on was what it took to plane out a .750 round ball! :bow:

 

[gjkershul]

Anthony Darling in "Red Coat and Brown Bess" published by the Museum Restoration Service 1970 at p. 11 specifies the service load was 6 to 8 drams of powder. 164 to 218 grains at 27.34 grains per dram.

Neumann in "The History of Weapons of the American Revolution" 1967 at p.52 says the British Musket cartridge load was aproximatley 6 drams 164 grains .

I believe 110 grains of musket powder was the service charge for US Smoothbore .69 muskets.

 

[BlueL]

i have read, on month ago, that service load for french musket M1777/AnIX during napoleonic wars was, 12g/185grains, and muzzle velocity was about 1345 fps