The MVTCo 1740 Potsdam Musket

[tom6]

Is it possible to see any pics? I am very interested in one.

 

[Rock Island]

I have all the necessary camera gear, but no clue how to post pics on this forum, computer literate I am not.

 

[Bryanbrown]

Remember an 18th century military muskets are not so much firearms, as they are transport and delivery mechanisms for the Bayonet. Line troops fired 3 or 4 volleys and then closed with the bayonet. The heavy muzzle helps with thrust and parry with the bayonet. More volume of fire from the individual soldier is more a later 18th century phenomenon as light infantry troops and regulars at skirmish order become more common.

Fusil and to a lesser extent carbines (due to some being cut down muskets) are designed and built to shoot, muskets are more poke centric in thier design.

 

[smoothy]

I have an 1832 Prussian musket, or the remnants of one. It was "sporterized" way back when so it has a shorter barrel and no longer has the forward barrel band/front sight piece. Its also missing the middle barrel band and the hammer. Picked it up for $50. I found some replacement parts that would triple the investment of the gun. I don't really intend on shooting it anyway. I believe it was imported for the early part of the Civil War where it was lovingly called a "water mellon thrower" by those that got stuck with it. Its percussion, but by the time of the Civil War it was outdated. Both the North and South imported them being short on firearms at the beginning of the war.

 

[Rock Island]

Both sides imported just about anything that would shoot, many of them were Austrian, and German muskets. There were some Southern State militias that still had the Brown Bess flintlock in 1861. Nice find at that price, too bad Bubba found it first and chopped it up.
Cold steel in the guts, nasty way to go.

 

[Story]

I have an 1832 Prussian musket, or the remnants of one.

Just to clarify, the Model 1809 Prussian Musket is a Germanic copy of the Charleville design (barrel bands, etc), while the 1740 and it's derivatives (1782) are more along the lines of the Brown Bess (pinned barrel).

The captured Hessian muskets held by American forces after the war were all flushed out of the arsenals by the 1790s, apparently having been rode hard while used and put away wet.