Too close ones eyes or not too!

[Gary]

If you're just reenacting, close your eyes and turn your head like a green recruit. Why lose the MK I eyeball because of a hobby?

If you're target shooting or hunting, wear glasses/goggles.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

Weren't British soldiers ORDERED to close their eyes when they fired? Makes sense to protect your eyes from flying flint fragments.

The short answer is NO! :grin: Modern military reenactors sometimes recommend this but it was not a part of British regulations. The manual we use says "Take aim by looking along the barrel."

Not sure what manual you're refering to, but I think you've got it backwards. the British Drill of 64 (1764) that was used by the British throughout the Revolutionary War, gives the following commands:
Ӣ Poise your firelocks
Ӣ Cock your firelocks
Ӣ Present
Ӣ Fire.

The British drill said nothing about aiming. 75 cal. muskets had terrible accuracy with the 69 cal. balls they used in them, but they were quick to load. Their intention was to get a solid wall of lead in the air at least three times per minute. The plan was to close quickly and follow up with a bayonet charge. It was very successful throughout Europe, so they used it here too.

The Von Stueben drill that the Continentals used after Valley Forge says "Take Aim; Fire". The Continentals were told to aim, not the Brits. The Continentals habit of aiming caused some pretty high casualy rates among the British, especially the officers.

------------------------------
Twisted1in66 :thumbsup:

 

[oneeye]

Study my nickname and be well advised to always wear safety glasses when shooting.

Dan

 

[paulvallandigham]

You are more likely to catch a piece of flint in an eye than powder. The piece of flint will be thrown there by the powder, but it will be the flint that takes out your eye. Always were shooting glasses. Even re-enactors need to wear them. If the public wants to take pictures, they can take a posed shot without the glasses, with guns at the ready, or aimed. But, if someone wants to take a picture of you shooting the musket without your glasses on, tell them the same rule of common sense applies to the fact that I don't shoot real bullets at a re-enactment. I wear glasses when I shoot. Take you choice, but in this case, I am not going to sacrifice my eyes for you to get an " Action " picture.

Just my two cents. My club went through this argument years ago, when we first started doing parades and re-enacting primitive encampments, and rendezvous. The arguement comes up every couple of years as we get new people into the club. The club cannot afford enough insurance to cover the loss of a member's eye. I don't know who pays for your personal health insurance plan, but it doesn't pay enough to cover the loss of an eye, much less loss of income while it heals, and I learn to work with the remaining eye.

Just think about that the next time someone is insisting that you be "Historically Correct ".

 

[flintriflesmith]

Weren't British soldiers ORDERED to close their eyes when they fired? Makes sense to protect your eyes from flying flint fragments.

The short answer is NO! :grin: Modern military reenactors sometimes recommend this but it was not a part of British regulations. The manual we use says "Take aim by looking along the barrel."

Not sure what manual you're refering to, but I think you've got it backwards. the British Drill of 64 (1764) that was used by the British throughout the Revolutionary War, gives the following commands:
Ӣ Poise your firelocks
Ӣ Cock your firelocks
Ӣ Present
Ӣ Fire.

The British drill said nothing about aiming. 75 cal. -
Twisted1in66 :thumbsup:

Twisted,
You might want to take a closer look at the Harvey manual of 1764. While it does not actually use the word aim it sure appears to describe aiming to me. :winking:
On page eleven of my reprint it says "Present...raise up the butt so high upon the right shoulder, that you may not be obliged to stoop too much with the head; the right cheek to be close to the butt, and the left eye shut, and look along the barrel with the right eye, from the breech-pin to the muzzle;" (breech-pin is the period term for what we usually call a breech plug and some Brown Besses actually have a groove filed in the top of the breech/tang that could function as a rear sight)

It also makes it clear that the right eye is to be open -- which is the original subject of this thread.

Gary