I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show "Tom Miller"
wrote back on Thu, 21 Apr 2005 09:20:23 +1000 in
misc.survivalism :
70 caliber! What the hell is that? That's nearly 18 mm. It would kick you
into the middle of next week to fire it. That's just a cannon with a stock!

No, those "hand gon" had gone out of fashioned a couple hundred years
before, replaced by matchlocks and other new fangled gizmos as the
technology advanced. ("Wasn't like this when I was a boy.")

What he's talking about is a Short Land Musket (New Pattern) , one
each. Aka the Brown Bess (although it seems that the name was attached
after the muskets went out of service in the 1800s.) Introduced in 1768,
it was an improvement of the Long Land Musket introduced in 1722. (Imagine
if you will, a firearm five or so inches shorter than you. That was the
model 1722. The 1768 was four inches shorter, and a lot lighter in
weight.)

Properly handled, it has a sustainable rate of fire of about 2 rounds a
minute, and the standard load was 38 cartridges. (Because experience had
determined that a) after that many rounds the muzzle was so fouled it
needed cleaning" and b) you weren't likely to need any more, the battle
would be over by then.) "Improperly handled", some units could get off 4
rounds a minute. (Improperly handled means they skip some of the safety
steps.) I never managed more than three in a minute, and that was with
just blank charges.

Loud, obnoxious, messy (word to the wise: do not fire a musket directly
into the wind. Or at least don't breathe till after the smoke clears ...
), full of sound and fury, but no "kick". Comparatively.

The assault weapons in the above article were the dreaded 70 caliber.

Gunner

Rule #35
"That which does not kill you,
has made a huge tactical error"

Rule 27: "Never be afraid to be the first to resort to violence."


pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
"MTV may talk about lighting fires and killing children,
but Janet Reno actually does something about it." --Spy Magazine