How many rounds a flintlock musket can fire in a minutes? And how to reload a flintlock?

Question

I need serious answer. And I need the procedure about how to reload a flintlock gun.

Answer 1

With practice, a person could fire up to 8 rounds per minute. This involves practice, and having your powder ready made in packets.

The process is: Pour the powder in the barrel (we used to shoot with 70 grains), then put a patch over the barrel end. Put your ball, or bullet, on the patch and push this down the barrel. Put powder in the pan, set the trigger, and fire.

Answer 2

Maybe the appropriate question would be how many minutes does it take to reload a flintlock...LOL.

I am not super familiar with the flintlock, so I guess, unless you are very adept at reloading one, you can expect to take a minute or more to load it.

As far as the loading the flintlock, this information may be helpful.

What is the normal loading sequence?
Load the barrel in the ordinary way, depending upon what type of gun you are shooting, rifle, smoothbore or pistol. Brush the pan free of all residue from the last shot, using your pan brush. If residue remains, wipe it out with a moistened cloth, then a dry one. Include the frizzen face and the edge of the flint in this wiping. Prick the touch-hole, to make certain it is clear. Place a few grains of priming powder into the pan, not more than 1/3 full, probably less. Close the frizzen, pull the hammer back and fire. If you will make each of these steps a routine part of the procedure, and if you keep an eye on the flint edge for sharpness, the gun will fire every time. You'll notice after a few shots that your frizzen, flint and pan are getting pretty fouled, and inconsistent ignition will surely be the result. A small cleaning patch dampened with rubbing alcohol is best for wiping the face of the frizzen, flint and pan to prevent the buildup of soot that would dull your sparks. A good wipedown every few shots is all that's needed.

Answer 3

Here goes...from memory...from 20 years ago when I fought the French at Fort Pitt. (French and Indian War reenactments!) (Some day I'll relate the incident where I was killed in battle and got a standing ovation when I was 'restored' to life.)

Bring the musket to a hortizional position mid body and open the pan cover. (Sorry I forget the official name. It might be frizzen.) The pan is where the flint generated spark falls. The pan cover holds the pan powder in place and provides for the striking surface and the pan powder ignites the powder in the barrel.

With your right hand draw a powder cartridge out of the pack. The cartridge is a paper cylinder with a twist top. Grasp the cartridge with your first finger and thumb. Hold the cartridge with at least 1/4 inch of twisted paper above the pinched fingers. Bring the cartridge to the mouth and using the teeth tear the top off.

Place a small amount of powder (10%) in the pan and close the cover.

Bring the musket to a vertical position with the stock by your left foot with your left hand holding the musket at the top of the barrel. (You must be standing or gravity will not draw the powder to the bottom of the barrel.) The musket should cant in to the right into the body center line just a tad.

Bring the cartridge to the barrel openning and pour the remaining powder down the barrel.

Using your thumb and first finger, crinkle the paper into a ball and place it into the barrel. This provides a means to keep the powder compacted and in position. (Cotten and silk were also used instead of paper but not typically in the heat of battle. They were often used in hunting situations where time allowed and distance was a factor.)

Some individuals would ram the paper down the barrel. Some of us would not. We would, (still with the right hand), draw a lead ball from the pack and place it in the barrel. We then ram the ball and paper down the barrel. (In reenactments we did not load with the lead ball and only with the paper.) Replace the ram rod in its holder under the barrel. (Failure to replace the ram rod in its holder often resulted in the shooter leaving it in the barrel. It becomes a flying spike when the musket is shot. Shooting your loading equipment into the enemy is concidered bad form since you can no longer load your own weapon.)

Bring the musket to a ready position at a 45 degree angle mid body and cock the musket. Be careful to fully cock the musket and not leave the lock in a half-cock position.

Bring the musket to a firing position, sight and fire. (Some individuals were taught to turn the head away from the pan flash. The musket was not overly accurate and if the enemy had great numbers, then pointing the weapon was more important than accurate sighting and turning the head away could sometimes prevent powder burns to the eyes.)

After some training I could fire 2-3 times a minute. Skillful musketmen (also known as black powder men) could fire 4 times a minute.

A prefered method among well lead units was to have a 3 man team. One shoots and two load. The rate of fire for such teams goes up to 6 or more shots per minute.

Answer 4

Musket Fire

Answer 5

A person average reload a musket 15 sec but as I`ve have seen and read is 10 sec. So that makes it 8 shots per minute but the average is still 4 shots per minute.