Original short starter

[Phil Coffins]

Looks more like a inline bullet starter.

 

[Kmcmichael]

I’ve read and talked to some pretty knowledgable people that state they did not exist as we use them and that all of the American Longrifles as well as Hawkins style were coned.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Well, the document I link to above shows they were at least used by some at or before 1808

 

[tenngun]

PRB in a smoothie is an historic no no. Looking up something else I stumbled across a reference published in 1847 of PRB in a smoothie. It was not spoken of as anything but common and not new.
It was being done sometime before written about. When some one says there is no record of X before a particular date, I get a little itch I can’t scratch.
it’s a fine line between known and unknown, and they ‘could have had it’ and they did have it. Bacon had the earliest European recipe for gunpowder, but talked about it as if it was well known.
Athena sprang full grown and armed from the head of Zeus, but for the most part I think a tool was known, used, seen by others, adopted, modified and suddenly was common.

 

[RAEDWALD]

Research on past practices is somewhat like experimental archeology. It cannot tell you when something was first used. It can only tell you that it can be used. A short starter was probably independently invented multiple times over generations but we only know it was commonplace when somebody records it at the time. The rifle began with an oversize ball rammed down hard to engrave itself into the rifling but it was much later that it was first recorded that rifles came with an short heavy iron rod and a hammer to force the ball into the bore and engrave the rifling. After which the scouring stick could run it down onto the powder. A colleague at my shooting range still loads his pistol with a mallet in lieu of a short starter. Just greases the bare ball and knocks it into the bore with a small mallet. He is more accurate than I am but, I then again, most people are.

 

[Mark Herman]

My original post should have read " were NOT " common.

 

[user 49399]

Right. I figured that. There’s been some very good information presented in this thread. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[Mad L]

I cannot recall where, maybe here, but some time a go someone posted a section from a 17xx French Military manual on "How to Load A Musket".

The author said it did Not mention any word that could translate to "short starter, straight starter, or even starter" but it went (from my memory) something like this:
1) measure powder
2) pour powder down barrel
3) center ball atop barrel
4) WITH YOUR 'MALLET' STRICK BALL INTO BARREL

IF my memory serves well I think it did not mention any form of 'short rod' to continue further as we would with a Strait Starter. I also can not recall mention of using patch or lube.

Also if I recall correctly this was a post that also recalled a French Military order for "Bracer Buckels" (suspenders) which was highly debated in early use.

Many details are in fact 'lost' to history for where something was considered 'Common Knowledge' it was not always documented to the fullest...sometimes only mentioned 'in passing'. Then it was left to the scholars of tomorrow to figure out.