Making a flintlock pistol and blunderbuss. Musket - infantry forces and weapons of brave soldiers Do-it-yourself musket at home

There is probably no person who has not at least once heard the word musket, and even more so the word “musketeers” derived from this weapon. By the way, this word has brought historical confusion to humanity. Thanks to the writer Dumas and his musketeers, humanity has taken root in the misconception that France is considered the birthplace of muskets, but these firearms were not invented by the French, although later they had a hand in the musket in terms of its improvement.

How did the first muskets appear?

In the mid-16th century, a firearm called the arquebus arose, which can be considered the ancestor of the classic musket. For some time, arquebuses were considered a formidable weapon, but it soon became clear that the arquebus was an unreliable weapon. The bullets fired from the arquebus, due to their low weight (no more than 20 grams), as well as their modest caliber, were powerless against enemy chain mail and armor, and loading the arquebus was a long process. It was necessary to invent new, more effective firearms.

And such a weapon was invented. History assures us that the first long-barreled gun with a wick-lock, later called a musket, appeared in Spain. History has preserved the name of the gunsmith who invented the musket. This is a certain Mocheto, who lived in the Spanish city of Veletra.

The first musket had a long barrel - up to 150 cm. Thanks to the long barrel, the caliber of the musket also increased. The new gun now has the ability to fire new charges with a large number gunpowder, which allowed the bullet to fly further and at greater speed, resulting in the bullet having greater stopping power. Such a bullet could no longer be stopped by chain mail and armor.

The first samples of muskets were quite heavy (up to 9 kg), and therefore it was difficult to carry them - the muskets were fired from previously prepared positions. And still, shooting from them was not an easy task: when firing, the musket had a strong recoil, and loading it required time and skill. Soldiers of European armies armed with muskets (primarily Spain, Germany and France - as the most powerful powers of the Middle Ages) represented a formidable force.

How to load a musket

Each of us has probably seen in films exactly how muskets were loaded. It was a long, complicated and tedious procedure:

They loaded the musket through the muzzle;
Gunpowder was poured into the barrel in the amount necessary for the shot (according to the shooter). However, in order not to make a mistake in the dose of gunpowder during the battle, the powder doses were measured in advance and packaged in special bags called chargers. These same charges were attached to the shooter’s belt during shooting;
First, coarse powder was poured into the barrel;
Then finer gunpowder, which ignited more quickly;
The shooter pushed the bullet into the table with the help of a ramrod;
The charge was pressed against a constantly smoldering wick;
The ignited gunpowder threw a bullet out of the barrel.

It was believed that if the entire charging procedure takes no more than two minutes, then this is wonderful. In this case, it became possible to fire a salvo first, which often guaranteed victory in the battle.

Features of fighting with muskets

A warrior armed with a musket was called a musketeer. A bullet fired from a musket could win a battle, which, in general, was what happened. When firing from muskets in one gulp, it was possible to lay down a whole line of the enemy at a distance of up to 200 meters. The weight of musket bullets could be 60 grams. Armored knights were knocked out of their saddles with musket bullets.

Still, firing a musket was not an easy task. It took a long time to load the musket. The recoil when firing was such that it could knock the shooter off his feet. To protect themselves, the shooters wore special helmets and also tied a special pad to their shoulder. Due to the difficulty of shooting, there were two people with the musket: one loaded the weapon, the other fired, and the loader supported him so that the shooter did not fall.

In order to make it possible to fire muskets faster, the armies of many countries came up with various tricks. One of these tricks that history has preserved was the following. The musketeers lined up in a square consisting of several ranks. While the first rank was firing, the rest were loading their muskets. Having fired, the first line gave way to another, with loaded guns, and that one to the third, fourth, and so on. Thus, musket fire could be carried out constantly.

In the 16th century, during battles, it was musket shooting that was decisive condition victory. Often the side that was the first to fire a volley at the enemy won. If the first salvo did not give a decisive result, then there was no time to fire the musket again - everything was decided in close combat.

Double-barreled musket: the history of its appearance

In order to get out of the situation, it was necessary to somehow increase the rate of fire of the musket. However, rapid firing of muskets with a matchlock was impossible. The matchlock musket, due to its design, simply could not fire quickly. It was necessary to invent some new musket that could be fired faster.

The double-barreled musket was invented. The advantage of a double-barreled musket over a single-barreled one was obvious: instead of one shot, it could fire two, that is, shoot twice as fast. It was a kind of weapons revolution, but for unknown reasons the double-barreled musket could not take root in the infantry units of European powers. By the way, it is the double-barreled musket that is the progenitor of our hunting rifle - continuity through the centuries.

Pirate musket - the prototype of a modern pistol

But the double-barreled musket, like the single-barreled one, aroused interest among pirates of the 16th century. In subsequent centuries, until the 19th century, when muskets were replaced by more perfect weapon, and the pirates themselves for the most part sank into historical oblivion, pirate enthusiasm for this did not diminish at all. It was the pirates who, first of all, had a hand in improving muskets and contributing to the appearance of the first pistols.

Unlike the army, the “knights of fortune” were the first to fully appreciate what firearms are, and what advantage they give to those who own them and know how to handle them. Heavy musket bullets could easily disable a merchant ship, making it easy prey for filibusters. In addition, in hand-to-hand combat, a pirate armed with a musket was a very formidable combat unit.

To make it more convenient to shoot from a musket and carry it with them, the pirates thought about improving it. The French sea robbers were the most successful in this. They were the first to think of making the musket barrel shorter, reducing its size and caliber, and equipping the weapon with a handle resembling a pistol grip. The result was an easy-to-handle musket, which became the forerunner modern pistols and revolvers.

The pirates nicknamed certain versions of the shortened musket blunderbusses. They differed from ordinary muskets in their shortened appearance, as well as the expansion at the end of the barrel. Blunderbuss could fire shotguns and hit several enemies at once. In addition, the blunderbuss had a very loud sound when fired, which produced a terrifying effect on the enemy. psychological impact. By the way, not only pirates, but also civilian ships of that time were equipped with muskets and blunderbusses to suppress mutinies on ships.

Further improvement of the musket

Meanwhile, the authorities of the leading European powers were not asleep. Their gunsmiths also began to think about improving the musket. Several European powers have achieved impressive results in this matter.

The Dutch were the first to succeed. Their craftsmen designed lighter muskets. Troops armed with such muskets were more mobile, and the muskets themselves became easier to fire. In addition, the Dutch improved the musket barrel by producing musket barrels from soft steel. As a result, musket barrels no longer exploded when fired.

German craftsmen also made a significant contribution to the improvement of the musket. They improved the firing mechanism of the musket. Instead of the matchlock method of shooting, the flint method appeared. The flintlock gun, which replaced the matchlock, was a revolution in the development of weapons medieval Europe. The lever in the wick mechanism was replaced by a trigger, which, when pressed, released the spring with the flint, the flint hit the arm, resulting in a spark being struck and igniting the gunpowder, which, in turn, ejected the bullet from the barrel. It was much easier to shoot from a flintlock than from a matchlock.

The French were not far behind. First, they changed the butt of the musket: it became longer and flatter. Secondly, they were the first to equip muskets with bayonets, as a result of which muskets could be used as edged weapons. Thirdly, they installed a battery lock on the gun. Thus, the French musket turned into the most advanced firearm at that time. As a result, the flintlock gun replaced the matchlock. In fact, it was Napoleon’s army that was armed with French flint muskets, as well as the Russian army that opposed it.

The main parts of the musket remained unchanged until the very end of its existence. Some individual parts were modified at different times, but the principle of operation itself did not change. This applies to such parts as the butt, stock, working mechanism.

Musket as part of history and culture

By and large, it was with the musket that the development and improvement of small arms throughout the world began. On the one hand, the musket gave rise to shotguns, rifles, carbines, machine guns and machine guns, and on the other hand, short-barreled weapons like pistols and revolvers. That is why these ancient weapons exhibits are part of history.

On the other hand, muskets are a cultural and collectible value. Having an antique weapon can be the pride of a true amateur collector. In addition, some examples are decorated with precious metals and stones, which further increases their cultural significance.

The appearance of firearms and their combat use would have been impossible without black powder. Soon after its appearance, the musket was invented - a powerful and heavy weapon, the predecessor of which was the arquebus. Thanks to A. Dumas and his famous work about the musketeers, many contemporaries mistakenly believe that the French invented muskets. In fact, they had a hand in improving it, but not in the invention itself. In general, the meaning of the term “musket” may vary depending on the historical period.

The first firearm, the arquebus, appeared in the middle of the 16th century and is, in fact, the predecessor of the musket. At first, arquebuses were considered deadly and powerful, but in reality they turned out to be unreliable weapons. The charges that were used for them were too small in caliber and weight (up to 20 g) to pierce the armor or chain mail of the enemy. And reloading the arquebus was such a long process that the invention of more effective weapon It was only a matter of time.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the musket in the history of firearms. His own story remains unknown (there are several versions), but the closest information to reality suggests that the first gun with a long barrel and a wick lock was invented in Spain. Presumably its creator was a certain Mokcheto, who lived in the city of Veletra.

A musket shot could easily pierce a wooden partition

The barrel length of the first musket, according to ancient records, was about one and a half meters. Compared to arquebuses, the caliber also increased - up to 22 mm, and the weight of the charge for muskets was about 50 g. During the shooting process, more gunpowder was used, and therefore the bullet had greater acceleration and flew over a greater distance. This means that its destructive power increased significantly - the charge easily penetrated plate armor and other armor that was common in infantry troops in the 16th century.

At first, muskets could only be fired from pre-prepared positions, since the weight of the gun reached 9 kg, and it was very inconvenient to carry them. Loading the musket required skill and dexterity, and the strong recoil made the shooting process much more difficult. Despite all the negative features of muskets, European soldiers (this weapon was common among the armies of Spain, France and Germany) after being armed with muskets became a formidable force.

The functioning of a musket-gun is associated with the operation of the trigger mechanism. It was the appearance of the castle that served as the impetus for the development of all methods of igniting gunpowder in firearms. Matchlock muskets remained in service with European armies for a very long time, despite the simplicity of the design and the fact that this method of firing the gun was far from ideal.

With the development and improvement of muskets, during the reign of the Spanish fleet in the sea, this type of weapon began to be used on ships. Handguns created powerful fire support V naval battles, where the situation was usually resolved more quickly than in land skirmishes. Rifle and artillery salvoes were capable of causing significant damage to the rigging, manpower and the ship itself.

Muskets were especially popular in naval battles because their heavy bullets easily destroyed wooden ship structures. The close-range shooting that preceded the boarding battle was accurate and devastating.

Manufacturing technology

Making a working musket at home is extremely difficult and unsafe.

It should be noted right away that the manufacture of functional firearms is not only a complex, but also a dangerous process. Especially when it comes to early models, to which the musket belongs.

Even factory samples of such weapons often led to injuries, jamming and bursting right in the hands of the shooter, so it is better to limit ourselves to creating a model without going into the intricacies of the functioning of the combat prototype.

Material selection

The best material for making a musket model with your own hands is wood. And so that your weapon does not lose its attractive appearance, becoming distorted under the influence of moisture, the workpiece should be dried for a year. To do this, you must follow these recommendations:

Cut off a branch or trunk.
We paint the cuts on both sides. For this, varnish, paint or adhesive can be used. This approach is necessary so that the wood dries more evenly and internal cracks do not appear in it.
Now the workpiece is placed in a dry, dark place where sunlight should not penetrate.
After a year, you can carefully remove the bark from the workpiece, after which it should dry for about another week.
Now you should cut the branch in half, after which you can begin to directly create the musket.

Model assembly

Exploded view of a musket

In addition to a wooden block, to make a model musket you will need a small piece of pipe and strong wire. It is advisable to choose a not very thick chrome-plated pipe or, on the contrary, one covered with rust (this approach will allow you to create a model with a touch of antiquity).

First we make the handle. To do this you need to follow these steps:

We find a picture of a musket on the Internet, which will become our model.
Carefully transfer the pen of the product to a sheet of paper. In this case, you must try to maintain all proportions.
Cut out the resulting pattern.
We apply the pattern to a wooden beam and securely fasten it to it.
We draw the contours of the future workpiece.
Using a utility knife, we remove excess layers of wood until we get a handle that matches our pattern.
The last stage is surface treatment with sandpaper. At this stage, you can hide small irregularities that were made earlier. As a result of such processing, the workpiece should become perfectly smooth.

Advice! To protect a wooden surface from moisture, it is advisable to soak it in oil, varnish or paint.

After you have finished making the handle, you should attach a pre-prepared tube to its upper part. In the original muskets, the barrel is slightly “recessed” into the handle, so a small recess should be made in it to securely fix the elements.

After the parts are adjusted to each other, they are fixed together with wire. The musket model is ready. Now it can be decorated with patterns by burning wood.

Features of the wick system

It was impossible to ensure rapid fire from a musket

If you want to equip your musket with a matchlock system, then you should understand its main nuances.

Such weapons were loaded from the muzzle of the barrel using a special charger. It was a case with a precisely measured dose of gunpowder required to fire one shot. In addition to it, in the shooter’s arsenal there should have been a small powder flask, represented by natrusk, from which small gunpowder was poured onto the seed shelf.

The bullet was sent into the barrel using a ramrod. To ignite the charge in such designs, a smoldering wick was used, pressed by the trigger to the powder shelf. A short trigger appeared in such designs only in the 17th century.

The weight of a combat matchlock musket was 7 and sometimes 9 kg. In addition, the recoil of this weapon was so strong that only a strongly built person with certain training could withstand it. Therefore, attempts were constantly made to soften the blow - special soft pads were used.

On average, it took about two minutes to reload a matchlock musket. True, already at the beginning of the 17th century there were virtuoso shooters who managed to make several unaimed shots per minute.

In battle, such high-speed shooting was ineffective, and even dangerous due to the abundance and complexity of loading techniques for a musket: for example, sometimes the shooter in a hurry forgot to remove the ramrod from the barrel, as a result of which it flew towards enemy battle formations, and the unlucky musketeer was left without ammunition.

In the worst case, when loading a musket carelessly (an excessively large charge of gunpowder, a loose bullet seating on the gunpowder, loading with two bullets or two powder charges, and so on), ruptures of the barrel were not uncommon, leading to injury to the shooter himself and those around him.

In practice, the musketeers fired much less often than the rate of fire of their weapons allowed, in accordance with the situation on the battlefield and without wasting ammunition, since with such a rate of fire there was usually no chance of a second shot at the same target.

Silicon system

The flintlock gun, which replaced the matchlock gun, was a revolution in the development of weapons in medieval Europe. The lever in the wick mechanism was replaced by a trigger, which, when pressed, released the spring with the flint, the flint hit the arm, resulting in a spark being struck and igniting the gunpowder, which, in turn, ejected the bullet from the barrel.

A flintlock musket was much easier to shoot than a matchlock.

You can practice making a musket using Lego.

The Lego constructor is an excellent option for making various models. It allows not only a child, but also an adult to realize a whole range of ideas, creating models, structures, buildings and even mechanisms. Thanks to the right choice blocks, you can build anything.

In the case of the Lego constructor, you should not count on creating current model, since it would be very problematic to integrate even an elastic mechanism into such a design. However, creating an effective layout is quite possible.

To make the final product truly attractive, you need to prepare construction blocks of three colors:

Brown - for making a handle.
Dark gray or black to create the muzzle.
The light gray that the trigger will be made from.

Naturally, when making your own model, you do not have to adhere to this color scheme.

Having prepared everything you need, you can proceed directly to assembly. To do this, we assemble the individual parts of our model:

Trunk. Since the Lego designer assumes the creation of angular models, in our case the trunk will have a square cross-section. We assemble the barrel using dark blocks.
Handle. Form of this element may be arbitrary, but it is better to be guided by photographs of real muskets when assembling. Otherwise, you may end up with an ordinary pistol. The main difference between the musket is the handle, which smoothly flows into the body of the weapon, on which the muzzle tube rests.
Trigger. A small part that can be represented in one block. Attached to the handle from below. The musket model may not have a trigger; in this case, this part is optional.

In the end, all that remains is to fasten the resulting parts together, assembling a solid model of the musket.

This article is written for informational purposes only!

It is very easy to make a musket yourself - take an ordinary iron water pipe with a diameter of 1/2 inch (inner diameter about 15 mm, wall thickness 2.4-3 mm
.) - it is necessary to carefully inspect the seam for integrity (the first muskets were welded entirely from separate strips - black powder does not detonate, burns relatively slowly, thus there are no sudden pressure surges and you can use ordinary pipes for it - it will not burst if loaded correctly) , in the same way, it is attached with strips of steel (from an ordinary metal strip) in a groove in an oak forend with a butt (from 4 cm. Thickness of an oak board (preferably hardwood, but pine can also be used) - a (non-separable) forend with a butt, a butt is turned is machined in a shape corresponding to the butt of a hunting rifle (the forend can be taken about 40-50 cm. The length of the butt is about 40 cm.) (A groove for the barrel is turned (cut) in the forend to a depth almost equal to the diameter of the barrel (underneath there is a small groove for a ramrod ), from below to the fore-end with the butt you can attach a strap for carrying over the shoulder (the barrel itself can be taken -80-90 cm long).

From the back, a bolt with a thread of 18 mm in diameter and a thread length of about 60-70 mm is screwed into the barrel (it is necessary to cut a thread at the end of the barrel to a depth of about 60-70 mm), and a transverse hole for another bolt is drilled in the head of the bolt for reliability. (8-10 mm in diameter), with which the main bolt - the breech - is screwed perpendicularly to the fore-end, so that when fired, the barrel or bolt does not tear out of the groove and then hit the face (it is convenient to cut a groove in the head of the bolt - breech - for the head of the transverse bolt - so that it does not interfere with aiming.
Then, in the barrel itself, a hole with a diameter of 1.2-1.5 mm is drilled transverse to the barrel (also a second hole in the second, opposite wall of the barrel) - the holes are located in the barrel at a distance of 1.2-1.7 cm. From the end of the screwed-in bolt (in the upper half of the barrel in thickness to reduce the release of gases through the hole), through them the powder charge is ignited. For the fuse, a piece of furnace heating wire made of nichrome with a diameter of 0.3-0.4 mm is used - inserted across the barrel through both holes (it is convenient to insert the wire using a medical needle), in the same place, near the holes in the forend, clamps - contacts are attached (as a clamp you can use chrome-plated screw connections of wires from a socket/switch - a wire is soldered to them, instead of a screw, a piece of an electrode/long threaded screw is made, curved at the end for tightening by hand) (the piece of the spiral itself is covered with glue (silicate) along the edges so that there is electrical insulation from the metal of the barrel, and the rest of it with any easily flammable glue, in addition, the wire can be slightly sharpened in the middle), - the fuse (via wires) is connected to batteries or portable batteries and a shot is fired (it is convenient to use a switch as a trigger, wires from it are placed in the fore-end in grooves, and in the lower part of the butt there is a socket (similar to an antenna), where wires from batteries from a bag or belt are connected) - the simplest method (without a trigger mechanism with a flint, a charging shelf, without gears, springs, etc.). etc.), the main thing is to avoid oxidation of contacts.

A metal rod - ramrod (diameter 6-7 mm. With a barrel length of 70 cm or more) is attached to the barrel from below (on metal crimp rings - made of ordinary metal tape) to send a bullet into the barrel by slightly pressing the ramrod, from one end of the ramrod (attached to threads or cuts) metal brush (can be made from a piece of metal sponge) - after each shot - it is advisable to clean it of carbon deposits to make loading easier and to avoid bullet jamming when firing.
After making the musket, it must be balanced - so that the center of balance is located at a level of 7-10 cm. From the trigger (horizontally) (in the area where the powder charge is located) - closer to the barrel, for this, holes are drilled in the rear (end) part of the butt (up to 10-12 cm. Depth can be 10-12 mm. In diameter) (first, lead is suspended in separate pieces (in a light container) from the butt (at the very end) (the musket itself is suspended with the trigger down) to determine its required quantity for balance at a given point - 7-10 cm. From the trigger) and the holes are filled with this lead.
The total weight of the musket is about 3.5-4 kg. (With such a weight, the recoil is insignificant.
At the end of the barrel it is convenient to place a front sight made of metal plates, attached with a metal strip to the barrel; it is convenient to make it slightly moved on screws in a direction perpendicular to the barrel, in order to then center it on the targets.

Spherical lead bullets according to the caliber of the barrel (cylindrical bullets in the absence of rifling in the barrel bore - do not fly accurately, turn over in flight and are strongly blown away as a result of unequal windage from side to side) - first, a metal ball (for example, from a bearing) is ground to the required diameter , this uniform diameter is carefully monitored with a caliper throughout the ball (this ball must, with some slight effort, go through the entire! Barrel), then made of gypsum (alabaster) with the addition of cement (1: 2-1: 3 (cement: alabaster by volume) form - a cast of two equal halves (when making casts - halves of the mold, it is convenient to separate them from each other with thin oiled paper) (it is convenient to place the halves of the mold in rings - sections from a large pipe to avoid destruction), it is also convenient to make grooves in them for precise alignment half (or, after hardening, drill two symmetrically located (relative to the central recess) holes for the metal rods (it is convenient to lubricate the holes with grease to avoid chipping of the material), and after the gypsum and cement have hardened (about a day), the bullet is ready (in it, then, a small hole is drilled for filling, this protrusion on the resulting bullets is bitten off with wire cutters.
The bullet is lightly clamped in a small vice and lead is poured into it, the result is a bullet - a complete copy of the previously calibrated ball. Also, bullets (made of metal) can be turned on CNC machines.

Loading. Usually it takes 2-3 minutes, but you can, if you wish, do it in 1 minute.
Place the musket with the butt on the ground, remove the cleaning rod, clean the barrel with a cleaning rod (from carbon deposits from the previous shot), then insert a funnel into the barrel (you can without it, pour it directly into the barrel), scoop up the gunpowder with a measuring cup (the weight of the bullets is measured once, then used their average weight, gunpowder is measured by weight - 1/2 the weight of the bullet, a container for gunpowder is made of this size (a measuring cup is obtained for the volume of gunpowder, which weighs 10-11 grams), pour it into the funnel (while lightly pinching the sides with your fingers (ignition) holes in the barrel - gunpowder slightly spills out of them), pull out the funnel, insert a small wad of newspaper into the barrel (you can do without it - immediately insert the bullet), push it with a cleaning rod until it stops, pull the cleaning rod out of the barrel, then lower it into the barrel bullet (can be filled with cyanide (see below how), send it in, lightly tapping it with a cleaning rod until it stops, pull out the cleaning rod, insert the cleaning rod into the groove under the barrel, take out a previously measured and cut piece of ignition wire, previously coated as described here, glue (insert it into a medical needle so that the end of this wire protrudes slightly from the end of the needle), then insert this ignition wire with this needle across the barrel into the holes (it is convenient to slightly blunt the needle with a file), first clamp it in one clamp, turning the wing of the screw, then pull the needle out of the hole in the barrel and clamp the remaining end of the wire in another clamp (which is on the other side of the barrel) (if the needle is thin, then first insert the needle into both holes across the barrel, then insert the end of a piece of wire coated with glue into the end of the needle and pull the wire through needle (through the barrel) as it moves out of the barrel), shake the barrel slightly to compact the powder around the wire, insert the connector of the wire from the battery into the socket on the butt, check the contact with a weak current (on batteries in the bag (or on the belt) it is convenient to do switch with an indicator light and a resistor (the wire from them is connected to the socket on the butt), (by switching the switch on the battery to the indicator light and resistor, and turning on the switch (trigger) on the musket itself) - the light is on, which means there is contact; then turn off the switch on the musket (trigger), returning it to its original position, switch the switch on the battery back into the circuit without a resistor, into the firing position (it is important not to get confused here - so that a premature shot does not occur. That's it, you can target the enemy. The musket is ready to fire. Although loading is somewhat difficult, the likelihood of a misfire is minimal.

(It is advisable to first clean the barrel of rust and irregularities - the first shot is made with wire (weighing a total of about 18 grams (with the same charge of gunpowder) with a diameter of 2.5-3 mm. And a length (of scraps) of about 1 cm, the next 1 -2 shots are made with a larger wire - the electrode (4-5 mm in diameter) is cut into pieces 5-7 mm long (also about 18 g in total), then the next shot is with the same 1st wire (charged). - gunpowder, then a wad, then cut wire/ (cut electrode), then the 2nd wad.

The bullet weight is about 20 grams. (With a charge weight of 10-11 grams of smoke. Gunpowder) and when fired from a barrel 90 cm long. Penetrates up to 25 cm. Pine trunk.

Accordingly, it must first be tested with the 2nd - 2.5th charge of gunpowder (with the same bullet weight.

The advantage is that the described musket is easy to disassemble and assemble - for this you need to carry 2 keys - one for 17 mm, the other for 12-13 mm. And a screwdriver. It is easy to disassemble - take out the ramrod, unscrew the nut on the transverse bolt (bolt with a diameter of 10 mm) passing through the head of the breech screw and through the forend, remove the bolt, loosen 6 mm. - there are screws with nuts on three clamps (which compress the barrel with the forend), the clamps are removed (they can simply be moved forward) and the barrel is removed from the groove. The forend is 90 cm long. And the barrel is 90 cm. (When assembled, the barrel protrudes from the forend by 40-44 cm.) And then it is placed in a case (a case 90 cm long can be sewn specially from canvas fabric. - Similar to the type of case for a hunting rifle ) with a strap for carrying over the shoulder.

It is also not difficult to make a small gun with your own hands that shoots large lead balls (you can use the same musket bullets, there can be more layers of them - the full weight of the cannonball of that caliber.
For shooting large balls - an additional bullet is made for large balls; you can take the diameter of the balls about 2.4 cm. (Weighing more than 65 grams), so that they can fit up to 3 pieces in one layer (the diameter of the balls is such that when laying in the 1st layer of 3 pieces between them (in this layer) there was a gap of at least 1.5-2 mm.) (The height of these balls in the gun is about 2.5 layers, so it turns out no more -7-8 balls (about 2.4 cm in diameter) (less than 3 layers for such large balls (not 9 pcs), otherwise blockage and rupture of the barrel is possible (in no case - not with the core - rupture of the barrel is possible. Convenient use a 50 mm (inner diameter) regular new thick-walled water pipe with walls of 4.3-5 mm (about 1-1.4 m long) (carefully examine the seam) (in the case of black powder with a relatively low burning rate - this is possible (- the first cannons were made from tree trunks hollowed out from the inside, grabbed with metal hoops).
Similarly - on the side of the barrel there is a 2 - 2.5 mm hole (in the upper half of the barrel in thickness, and the hole is slightly inclined across the barrel to reduce the release of gases through the hole), the fuse is exactly the same, you can shoot from a wire with a piece spirals made of nichrome (from an electric stove) powered by batteries or rechargeable batteries.
From the back, such a small tool is closed using a special method (all welded plates are simply torn off) - you can find a solid metal blank with a transverse hole (you can use a set of pieces of pipes of different diameters about 15-17 cm long, which are put on one another, after the ends of the resulting blank are carefully welded using electric welding, then a transverse hole is cut using electric welding (in the center of the resulting blank) - 2.2-2.5 cm in diameter). the resulting plug is inserted, after which a piece of reinforcement with a diameter of about 2.5 cm is inserted into the hole across the barrel. And all the joints are carefully welded, and the rear end part is welded in the same way. This way, you get a strong locking of the breech, as well as very comfortable handles from the back of the barrel, which are convenient for attaching the gun to the carriage (they should protrude no more than 4-6 cm from the barrel, otherwise, when secured in the carriage, they will bend from recoil .

Under no circumstances should pyroxylin, TNT, etc. be used with such trunks - they will tear - they require special seamless thick-walled steel. The weight of the charge (black powder) is about 1/3 of the weight of metal bullets (the calculation was made based on the weight of a cast iron core of this caliber (taking into account the standard gap for cast iron guns) - about 470-490 g - the weight of the metal part of the charge. By volume - approximately , a table glass of black powder - about 170 gr. Large calibers It is dangerous to use a weapon made of ordinary tap steel even with black powder.

For convenience, measured charges of gunpowder can be placed in paper or cotton bags. rags (polyethylene is dangerous - pieces may remain in the barrel after a shot and smolder, which will lead to a premature next shot after the next charge.

It is also tested - 1.5 - 2nd charge of gunpowder (with the same charge of bullets - more - it can jam.

When testing, set it on fire using a long wire from batteries or a power supply from a shelter (it’s better to test it somewhere in the basement.

When shooting it is necessary good hard stop or reliable fastening to the carriage (the carriage must be fixed with the bipod dug into the ground.

Loading. Similar to a musket - gunpowder is poured, then a wad of larger paper and bullets (7-8 pieces, 65-70 grams each (Never 9 pieces) (about 2.4 cm in diameter) or 22 pieces. musket ones, 20 grams each.) Then a small wad on top, so that when tilted the bullets do not roll out, is compacted (instead of a ramrod) with any wooden stick - a piece of a shovel shaft will do. Then, a wire with a filament wire is inserted into the side, or an ignition tube - a thin rod tightly packed with gunpowder.

Multi-shot musket.

You can also assemble a homemade multi-shot musket - for this, a metal forend is made from a pipe with a diameter of 30-40 mm (to which the barrel is attached with couplings on screws) with a folding butt, in this forend a groove is made for a drum with cartridges.

The cartridges themselves are made from pipe scraps of the same diameter as the barrel; they are closed from the back with short bolts. The fuse wire, charge, wad and bullets are immediately inserted into them (they are stuffed in advance and covered with wax (paraffin) to protect them from moisture), after turning the cartridge (with the drum) towards the barrel, electrical clamps are attached to the protruding parts of the wires on the cartridge.

Thus, with your own hands, if you have a small garage with a (sufficient) hand drill, electric welding, a certain number of pipes, bolts, pliers, a vice, a grinding wheel, you can assemble a whole arsenal.

Moreover, it is absolutely independent of magazines with cartridges, machine guns, pistols, etc.

A gun with buckshot (small balls) completely replaces a machine gun at close distances - up to 200 m. With such a caliber of balls - about 2.4 cm. And their weight is from 65-70 grams - it will apparently penetrate an armored personnel carrier if it hits perpendicularly surface of the body.

Blunderbuss. Description

At first, this was the name for small guns that threw cannonballs from 20 to 28 lots (250-350 grams), and later a special kind of short-barreled guns for cavalry or sailors, whose muzzle was wider than the projectile. This barrel design made it possible to load the weapon with buckshot (or simply chopped lead). The shortened barrel made the blunderbuss lighter than a musket, but made shooting less accurate. Accuracy was somewhat compensated only by the large affected area when firing buckshot. Moreover, when shooting at a gallop, it was in any case difficult to aim, and in a naval battle the blunderbuss was used during boarding, where fire was fired almost at point-blank range.

Guns of this type appear around the middle of the 16th century and were initially used mainly by the navy, and from the second half of the 17th century also by the cavalry. Cavalry blunderbuss, as well as carbines, had a metal bracket on the left side (the so-called shoulder strap), to which a hook attached to the lower part of the sling going over the left shoulder clung. Thus, the blunderbuss hung freely from the right side of the rider, with the barrel down, allowing him to control the horse. If necessary, it could be quickly grabbed and fired. In some countries (England, Holland, France, Italy) blunderbusses could be called tromblons or trombones.

Blunderbuss with a small round or elliptical bell (funnel) on the muzzle were very common. The purpose of the bell is to facilitate the pouring of gunpowder and buckshot into the barrel (which was especially important for cavalrymen). During the period of blunderbuss production, there was a common misconception that the bell increased the spread of buckshot (and, accordingly, the area of damage), although this was in fact not the case: to increase the spread of buckshot, it was necessary not only to make a funnel at the end of the barrel, but to make the entire barrel in the form of a uniformly expanding cone Such weapons, however, were also made, but extremely rarely (due to their high cost); one of his examples is the "secret howitzer".

The caliber of the blunderbuss reached 25 mm, and the weight of the buckshot was 60-80 g. The barrel length was 900-930 mm, the total length was 1200-1250 mm.

It became especially widespread in the 18th century. Ottoman Empire. Ottoman tromblons differed from European examples of similar weapons primarily in their small size and decoration.

Blunderbuss (tromblons) were popular with Spanish smugglers and pirates until the beginning of the 20th century; they called it “trabuco”, which is why they received the name trabukers.

There were also pistols of a similar design, especially popular in the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th.

Double-barreled .50 caliber saddle pistol, Germany, circa 1900.

Howdah, howdah, howdah (howdah, the word itself means “elephant saddle”) - short-barreled large-caliber weapons chambered for a hunting type cartridge.

Howdahs originated from hunting double-barreled shotguns and were used in colonial India by elephant-mounted hunters to defend against attacks by a wounded tiger as a “weapon of last chance.” Initially, they were smooth-bore, without sighting devices, since they had to be fired almost point-blank. Subsequently, similar sawn-off pistols with a more comfortable handle began to be specially manufactured by gunsmiths, and they began to be made rifled; often the caliber coincided with the caliber of the hunter’s main weapon. English officers used them not only for hunting, but also in combat, as it was believed that they were more reliable than a standard revolver. Howdahs were not only double-barreled, but even four-barreled. The classic image of the howdah was formed in the years 1830-1850. The most famous are the howdahs of Lancaster, Wilkinson, and Westley Richards.

The use of howdah in lion hunting can be seen in the film.

In 2007, based on the IZH-43 gun, it was released traumatic weapon self-defense "Hauda" MP-341. It is a short double-barreled sawn-off shotgun chambered for a specially designed 35-mm 12-gauge cartridge with a rubber bullet.

Video Two seconds. Musket Lepage

Arquebus. The meaning of the word "arquebus"

Arquebuse (French arquebuse) (not to be confused with the concept of “arquebus”) is a smooth-bore, matchlock muzzle-loading gun, one of the original examples of handguns, which appeared in 1379 in Germany. Also installed in loopholes.
It was loaded from the muzzle, fired with a short arrow or stone, and later lead bullets. The powder charge was ignited using a matchlock. The weight of the arquebus was about 3 kilograms, the caliber was 15-17 mm. A bullet fired from an arquebus of the late 15th century had a muzzle velocity of about 300 m/sec and pierced heavy knight's armor at a distance of up to 30-35 meters. It was about the same sighting range. The barrel length in the 15th century was 30-40 calibers. This was due to imperfect barrel manufacturing technology, as well as the fact that until the beginning of the 16th century, powder pulp was used (grain powder was invented later), and it was difficult to load long-barreled weapons with it. Using the arquebus in the rain was almost impossible due to the wick ignition.
Initially, the arquebus was a crossbow of a special design (known as an arquebus) with a closed stock, which was loaded with metal balls (hence the name - arque + buse) - then they began to use gunpowder and a wick - this is how the first handguns appeared.
From German Haken buchse - literally hook + tube = hook. Initially, there was no shoulder stock, there was an armpit rocker, so the arquebus was clamped in the armpit and rested on a special hook-hook on the arquebus (see manual bombard). The caliber of the first (XIV-XV centuries) hand latch could be 30-40 mm, but the initial speed left much to be desired (100-150 m/s), and the penetration ability was also low. Therefore, it was said that firearms inspired fear more with their roar and flame than with their real benefits. Later, in the 16th century, granulated gunpowder appeared, long barrels, the caliber of arquebuses decreased to 20-22 mm and the weight of the core - a lead bullet - to 50 g, the initial speed of the bullet was estimated at 200-250 m/s. This is where the name comes from - musquet - a weapon that shoots something small (cf. mosquito, fly). At the same time, in order to distinguish a specialized heavy gun from any other (after the Battle of Pavia, with Spain) - for example, a hunting gun, where such a large caliber is not needed - the former term “arquebus” began to be used, in the sense of a gun/arquebus in general, although These arquebuses have no hooks at all. Since then (XVI century), obviously, arquebuses have been assigned the definition of light guns of small caliber. The recoil force of some arquebuses can be judged by the shortened butts, which were not adapted for a shoulder rest - they were simply pressed against the cheek.

The kulevrina is an arquebus-type hand-held firearm that was used by French soldiers in the 14th–16th centuries. Kulevrina could fire at a significantly distant target. The very first mention of the use of a culverin during a battle dates back to 1425. The caliber of the shells used varied from 15 to 25 mm. Depending on the design, the gun could weigh from 2 to 30 kg with a barrel length of 1.5 to 2.5 m. The kulevrin was equipped with a curved wooden butt, which was not pressed against the shoulder or cheek when firing, but was clamped under the armpit.

Several shallow but long grooves were often made on the stock and butt, which made it possible to slightly reduce the weight of the gun. The metal barrel, which was most often made from iron or bronze, was attached to the wooden stock using special rings, most often five or seven, but their number always remained odd. The barrel of the culverin was made six- or octagonal on the outside and round and threaded on the inside.

In Russia, this type of weapon was called a pishchala. Over time, due to the tendency to reduce the mass and size of guns, the principle of operation of the culverin was used as the basis for the creation of pistols and small-caliber guns. Also, long-barreled guns, called culverins, were widely used in naval battles of the 16th–17th centuries. Such weapons were installed on the shores or ships and were used to destroy enemy ships and manpower.

Unlike the cannons that were widespread at that time, the culverin had a rifled barrel rather than a smooth one, which increased the strength of the weapon and at the same time made it possible to conduct more accurate aimed fire. Such devices were no longer charged using the muzzle hole, but from the breech, while a device with a breech-loading system could be equipped with several charging chambers, which were screwed into the barrel in a special way. However, the cost of such a weapon was initially very high, which significantly reduced its distribution in the army.

Culverins from the 16th–17th centuries. were known in many European countries, including Russia, although they were available in small quantities. A model of this weapon, manufactured in Russian arms artels, was used during the capture of Kazan.

In the 15th century Buckshot was invented and began to be widely used. But firing such a projectile from a culverin was ineffective: due to the elongated barrel, the buckshot could not scatter and therefore had little destructive effect. Therefore, until the beginning of the 17th century. They fired mainly cannonballs from the culverin. Guns of this type were practically not used during the siege or capture of cities, since culverins did not have sufficient shot power to destroy fortress walls and other important fortifications. Therefore, if it was necessary to destroy a fortress or city wall, bombard and heavy guns were used. However, until the 17th century. Such equipment was very expensive, methods for casting barrels were not fully developed, and a good, high-quality weapon that did not explode during testing or in combat was often obtained by accident. Fundamental improvements in casting technology came only in the middle of the 17th century, when casting methods appeared that, without reducing the quality of the shot, made it possible to reduce the length of the barrel.

But interest in the culverin does not disappear even with the advent of improved versions of bombard guns. Therefore, this type of weapon was used until the end of the 18th century. - largely due to the high accuracy of the shot and the range of the projectile.

Shooting from a culverin was carried out by two warriors at once: the shooter (culveriner) and his assistant. A more experienced culveriner aimed the gun at the target and fired the shot; the servant’s duties included igniting the gunpowder charge, carrying the gun and caring for it. Often the culverin had a special stand for ease of firing and aiming at the target.

There are many known historical facts, proving the active use of culverins during the battle. For example, the Duke of Burgundy had up to 4,000 active guns weighing from 10 to 12 kg in Flanders. And in 1432, Duke Sigismund also armed his guard with hand culverins.

The musket is the first firearm in mass use. The Spaniards first used muskets in battle with the French back in 1515. The effectiveness of the weapon, which pierced through enemy armor, was undeniable.

The structure of a musket Muskets consisted of a valley barrel (up to 140 cm) and a short butt, in which a cutout was made for the thumb. The weight of the weapon reached 7 kg. Often the shooter had to place the musket barrel on a special stand - a buffet table. The large recoil did not allow the musket to be pressed to the shoulder; it was held suspended, only slightly leaning against the cheek while aiming. The charge was ignited by means of a smoldering wick, pressed by the trigger against the shelf with gunpowder. Initially, the trigger was a long lever located under the butt. But over time, the design of the musket underwent changes, and the trigger began to be made in the form of a short trigger. The weapon was loaded through the muzzle. Shooting from muskets The need to reload the musket after each shot led to a special formation of soldiers and the firing order. Soldiers with weapons (musketeers) lined up in a special way - rectangular squares 10-12 rows deep; Having fired a volley, the front row retreated back, giving way to the next. While the front row was shooting, those in the back were loading their weapons. Shooting a musket and loading a weapon was a very difficult task. The musketeers did this strictly according to commands. Even special books were published that illustrated positions when reloading a musket. Muskets in the Russian army In the Russian army, muskets appeared in the 17th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, along with the musketeers, in Russia there were fuselier infantry units armed with flint guns (fusees). During the reform of 1715, muskets in the Russian army were completely replaced by fuses; musket regiments are renamed fuselier regiments. In 1756 the name “musket” is assigned to the fuses, the parts again become musketeers. In 1786, infantry small arms received the name “gun,” and in 1811, musketeer units were renamed infantry units.

The total length of the musket was 180 cm, and it weighed about 8 kg, so support was needed when firing. A buffet table (stand) was placed, one end of which was stuck into the ground, and a support trunk was placed on the other.

With the increase in caliber to 23 mm (for the arquebus it was 15-17 mm), the weight of the bullet also increased. For a musket it began to weigh 50-60 grams. The firing range was 200-240 meters, and at this distance the bullet easily pierced the strongest armor. However, to hit the enemy with a musket, you had to try very hard. The probability that a target measuring two by two meters, placed at a distance of 70 meters, would be hit was only 60%.

In addition, the powerful recoil of a shot could only be withstood by a person with good physical training. In order to somehow soften the blow, a stuffed pad was put on the shoulder, playing the role of a shock absorber.

In order to load the musket, a whole ritual was required.

Muskets. Combat use

The musket of the 16th-17th centuries was very heavy (7-9 kg) and was essentially a semi-stationary weapon - it was usually fired from a rest in the form of a special stand, bipod, reed (the use of the latter option is not recognized by all researchers), the wall of a fortress or the sides of the ship. Larger and heavier than muskets from hand weapons There were only fortress guns, which were fired exclusively from a fork on the fortress wall or a special hook (hook). To reduce recoil, shooters sometimes put a leather pad on their right shoulder or wore special steel armor. In the 16th century, locks were made of wick or wheel locks; in the 17th century, they were sometimes impact-flint locks, but most often wick locks. In Asia there were also analogues of the musket, such as the Central Asian multuk (karamultuk).

The musket was reloaded on average in about one and a half to two minutes. True, already at the beginning of the 17th century there were virtuoso shooters who managed to fire several unaimed shots per minute, but in battle such shooting at speed was usually impractical and even dangerous due to the abundance and complexity of methods for loading a musket, which included about three dozen separate operations, each of which it was necessary to carry out with great care, constantly monitoring the smoldering wick located not far from the flammable gunpowder. However, the majority of musketeers neglected the statutory instructions and loaded the muskets as it was easier for them, as directly evidenced in the German-Russian regulations. To increase reloading speed, many musketeers avoided the time-consuming operation of a ramrod. Instead, a charge of gunpowder was first poured into the barrel, followed by a bullet (usually several bullets were kept in the mouth). Then, by quickly striking the ground with the butt, the charge was further nailed down, and the musketeer was ready to fire. Such initiative of personnel has been preserved throughout modern times, as evidenced by some sources of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was difficult to accurately measure the charge in battle, so special cartridge belts were invented, each of which contained a pre-measured amount of gunpowder per shot. They were usually hung on uniforms, and are clearly visible in some images of musketeers. Only at the end of the 17th century was a paper cartridge invented, which slightly increased the rate of fire - a soldier tore the shell of such a cartridge with his teeth, poured small quantity gunpowder onto the seed shelf, and the rest of the gunpowder, along with the bullet, was poured into the barrel and compacted with a ramrod and wad.

Shot from an arquebus

In view of the established opinion, it seems to many that the arquebus has Spanish roots, but if you look at the terminology, it turns out that the word arquebus is German; it was in Germany that the first examples of arquebuses appeared at the end of the 15th century, and were called “hakenbucdse”. There is no literal translation, but it can be roughly translated as a gun with a hook. This type of weapon quickly spread throughout all European countries, where it gained recognition as a powerful weapon by those standards. The arquebus was brought to Russia from Poland and Germany, and was called a arquebus. Basically, they were armed with royal detachments, which later became known as archers.

The arquebus underwent many changes, and its later modification, the musket, came into use until the end of the 18th century in the arsenal of infantry and cavalry of all countries of the world. Appearance and dimensions changed over time, or for the needs of individual branches of the military, but the main principle remained unchanged. During the era of geographical discoveries, arquebuses spread to the east; it is worth noting that it was during this period of time that there was a big leap in the development of firearms. In the middle of the 16th century, this type of weapon appeared in Japan.

Arquebus in action

Despite all the primitiveness of the samples, it has established itself as a reliable and powerful weapon that reliably hits the target from the first shot. The design consists of an iron tube mounted on a wooden stock, the charge was placed on the breech side, ignition occurred from the fire of the wick, hence the name wick weapon. Large caliber spherical lead bullets were used for shooting.

The first guns with a matchlock were extremely inconvenient, and most importantly unreliable, the shot from them depended on weather conditions, which caused difficulties for the shooter, also among the disadvantages can be identified the colossal weight of the weapon in modern times; the infantryman had to use a gun during combat operations weighing 20 kg. Due to such dimensions, it became inevitable to divide these weapons into 2 classes, lighter and heavier, which were mainly used for defense, and shooting was carried out from cover.

Due to the lack of a stock, the use of arquebuses was limited; when aiming, the shooter held the gun under his arm, and shooting was only possible from a rest position. On German models, for these purposes there was a stand under the carriage, which greatly simplified aiming. In technological terms, the production of weapons left much to be desired, but it was simpler than a crossbow, and as a result, cheaper to produce. Easy to use, operation, and maintenance made this type of weapon in demand, even taking into account its weak points. The first models with which German units were armed could fire at a distance of no more than 100 steps, an accurate shot required good training of the shooter, and actually suitable weather; often damp gunpowder did not ignite, which caused a misfire. The crossbow showed itself to be more confident, its heavy bolts were capable of flying up to 200 meters, and the density of fire was several times higher. And accuracy was also a problem for the first samples of arquebuses; only dense fire could guarantee hitting the target.

The matchlock was invented around 1430 and made gun handling much easier. The main differences in the design of the new weapon were as follows: the predecessor of the modern trigger arose - a serpentine lever located on the stock of the gun, with the help of serpentine the wick was activated, which freed the shooter's hand. The seed hole was moved to the side so that the fuse no longer covered the target. On later models of matchlock guns, serpentine was equipped with a latch and a spring holding it, a powder shelf for priming appeared, which later became closed, there was also a version of matchlock guns, in the design of which the trigger was replaced by a trigger button. The main disadvantage of matchlock guns was their relatively low resistance to moisture and wind, a gust of which could blow away the seed; moreover, the shooter had to constantly have access to an open fire, and in addition, the smoldering carbon deposits left after the shot in the barrel bore threatened to instantly ignite the loaded gunpowder. Thus, loading a matchlock gun from a powder flask with a large amount of gunpowder became quite dangerous, and therefore, in order to protect shooters from serious burns, cartridge belts were introduced, equipped with containers containing a smaller amount of black powder than before - exactly as much as was necessary to fire a shot.

The appearance of the first muskets

A musket is a long-barreled gun with a matchlock. This first mass-produced infantry firearm appeared before anyone else among the Spaniards. According to one version, muskets in this form initially appeared around 1521, and already in the Battle of Pavia in 1525 they were used quite widely. The main reason for its appearance was that by the 16th century, even in the infantry, plate armor had become widespread, which did not always make it out of the lighter culverins and arquebuses (in Rus' - “arquebuses”). The armor itself also became stronger, so that arquebus bullets weighing 18-22 grams, fired from relatively short barrels, were ineffective when fired at an armored target.

Matchlock musket and everything needed to load and fire it

Thanks to the production of granular gunpowder, it became possible to make long barrels. In addition, granular powder burned more densely and evenly. The caliber of the musket was 18-25 mm, the bullet weight was 50-55 grams, the barrel length was about 65 calibers, the muzzle velocity was 400-500 m/s. The musket had a long barrel (up to 150 cm) and a short butt with a cutout for the thumb in cervix The total length of the weapon reached 180 cm, so a stand was placed under the barrel - a buffet table. The weight of the Musket reached 7-9 kg.
Due to the high recoil, the butt of the musket was not pressed to the shoulder, but was kept suspended, only by leaning the cheek against it for aiming. The recoil of the musket was such that only a physically strong, well-built person could withstand it, while the musketeers still tried to use various devices to soften the blow to the shoulder - for example, they wore special stuffed pads on it.

Loading was carried out from the muzzle of the barrel from a charger, which was a wooden case with a dose of gunpowder measured for one shot. These charges were suspended from the shooter's shoulder belt. In addition, there was a small powder flask - natruska, from which fine gunpowder was poured onto the seed shelf. The bullet was taken from a leather pouch and loaded through the barrel using a ramrod.
The charge was ignited by a smoldering wick, which was pressed by the trigger against the shelf with gunpowder. Initially, the trigger was in the form of a long lever under the butt, but from the beginning of the 17th century. it took on the appearance of a short trigger.
Recharging took an average of about two minutes. True, already at the beginning of the 17th century there were virtuoso shooters who managed to make several unaimed shots per minute. In battle, such high-speed shooting was ineffective, and even dangerous due to the abundance and complexity of loading techniques for a musket: for example, sometimes the shooter in a hurry forgot to remove the ramrod from the barrel, as a result of which it flew towards enemy battle formations, and the unlucky musketeer was left without ammunition. In the worst case, when loading a musket carelessly (an excessively large charge of gunpowder, a loose bullet seating on the gunpowder, loading with two bullets or two powder charges, and so on), ruptures of the barrel were not uncommon, leading to injury to the shooter himself and those around him. In practice, the musketeers fired much less often than the rate of fire of their weapons allowed, in accordance with the situation on the battlefield and without wasting ammunition, since with such a rate of fire there was usually no chance of a second shot at the same target.

Musket matchlock

The low rate of fire of these weapons forced the musketeers to line up in rectangular squares up to 10-12 rows deep. Each row, having fired a volley, went back, the next rows moved forward, and the rear ones reloaded at that time.
The firing range reached 150-250 m. But even at this distance, hitting individual targets, especially moving ones, from a primitive smooth-bore musket, devoid of sighting devices, was impossible, which is why the musketeers fired in volleys, ensuring a high density of fire.

Improvement of matchlock muskets

Meanwhile, in the 17th century, the gradual withering away of armor, as well as a general change in the nature of combat operations (increased mobility, widespread use of artillery) and the principles of recruiting troops (a gradual transition to mass conscript armies) led to the fact that the size, weight and power of the musket over time began to be felt as clearly redundant.

In the 17th century muskets lightened to 5 kg with a rifle stock appeared, which were pressed against the shoulder when fired. In the 16th century, a musketeer relied on an assistant to carry a bipod and ammunition; in the 17th century, with some lightening of the infantry musket and a reduction in the caliber and length of the barrel, the need for assistants disappeared, and then the use of bipods was abolished.
In Russia, muskets appeared at the beginning of the 17th century during the creation of “foreign regiments” - the first regular army, formed on the model of European musketeer and reitar (cavalry) regiments and until Peter I existed in parallel with Streltsy army, armed with arquebuses. The muskets in service with the Russian army had a caliber of 18-20 mm and weighed about 7 kg. At the end of the 17th century, for use in hand-to-hand combat (still remaining the decisive type of combat between infantry and cavalry), the musket was given a baguette - a cleaver with a wide blade and a handle inserted into the barrel. The attached baguette could act like a bayonet (the name “baginet” or “bayonet” remained behind bayonets in various languages), but it did not allow firing and was inserted into the barrel immediately before the shooters entered hand-to-hand combat, which noticeably increased the time between the last salvo and the ability to act with a musket as a bladed weapon. Therefore, in the musketeer regiments, some of the soldiers (pikemen) were armed with long-pole weapons and entered into hand-to-hand combat, while the shooters (musketeers) were adjacent to the baguettes. In addition, with a heavy musket it was inconvenient to deliver long piercing attacks necessary in a battle with a mounted enemy, and when attacking cavalry, pikemen provided riflemen with protection from saber attacks and the ability to shoot point-blank at cavalry.
In the second half of the 17th century. This type of weapon throughout Europe was gradually replaced by military guns (fusees) with a flintlock.

Specifications:
Weapon length: 1400 - 1900 cm;
Barrel length: 1000 - 1500 cm;
Weapon weight: 5 -10 kg;
Caliber: 18 - 25 mm;
Firing range: 150 - 250 m;
Bullet speed: 400 - 550 m/s.

If we say that the musket is the progenitor and the main archetype of muzzle-loading weapons, it will sound very plausible. The appearance of the musket on the battlefields of the Middle Ages turned the rules of warfare upside down and sent the most famous warriors of that time - the knights - into oblivion. If we ignore the fact that this was by no means the very first small arms, the shotguns and rifles of our time owe their existence to this alone.

late 17th century musket

Operating principle

The operating principle of the musket mechanisms is based on the use of a lock-type trigger mechanism, which was the founder of all subsequent methods of igniting a powder charge. Due to its low cost, the matchlock mounted on a musket dominated in Europe until the invention of the first flintlock guns.

wick lock

The ignition of the gunpowder occurred due to the interaction of the trigger coupled with the smoldering wick and, in fact, the gunpowder charge. It is not difficult to imagine that such weapons had a number of significant disadvantages:

the wick had to be kept smoldering;
the need for constant access to fire;
problems of combat in conditions of high humidity;
problems with camouflage in the dark - the light from the wick gave away the shooter’s position.

A musket is a single-shot weapon. As a result, after each shot it was necessary to charge it again. Thus, having fired a shot, the shooter poured a pre-measured portion of gunpowder into the barrel of the weapon, pressed it with a wad and a cleaning rod, added another bullet (a ball of lead) to this mixture and fixed it with another wad. This kind of manipulation made it possible to fire about one shot per minute.

The musket's aiming system included only a barrel and a front sight - there was no rear sight at that time.

In order to avoid inaccuracies in terminology, it is worth noting that the concept of a musket and a gun takes into account only the length of the barrel of a firearm, while their design and everything else is of a secondary nature. For example, the famous "Winchester 1873", released in conjunction with a specially designed unitary cartridge, had a rifled barrel and was produced as a carbine, shotgun and musket, which had different barrel lengths.

Basic performance characteristics of the musket (XVII century)

The musket of the late 17th century had the following characteristics (performance characteristics):