English Matchlock Musket - BASC Firearms Demonstration

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  • čas přidán 2. 05. 2011
  • This is a modern replica of an English matchlock musket of about 1645. It is typical of those used in the English Civil War 1642 - 1649. We use modern replicas to prevent damage to rare original antique specimens.

    The matchlock musket was the standard firearm for foot soldiers from c. 1560 to c.1680. It takes its name from the slow-match which was used to fire it. Unlike modern matches, slow-match was a length of light rope which had been soaked in a solution of saltpetre (potassium nitrate) and allowed to dry. When lit - with a flint and steel tinder lighter - it glowed and burnt steadily.

    The matchlock musketeer carried his ammunition in a "bandoleer of charges". This was a leather sling to which was attached a small bag for the lead musket balls plus a flask of fine gunpowder and a number - normally 12 - of wooden or tin containers each containing a measured charge of coarse gunpowder.

    To load, the musketeer gripped the burning match between his finger, keeping the glowing end well away from his powder charges. He opened one of the containers - often with his teeth - and poured the charge down the barrel. He then reached into his ball bag, removed a musket ball and dropped that into the barrel. Taking the wooden ramrod - known as a "scowering stick" - from under the barrel, he rammed the charge home and put the ramrod back.

    On the right side of the barrel there was a little pan which held the fine priming powder which would ignited the main gunpowder in the he barrel. The musketeer filled that and flipped its cover shut. He took his burning match and clipped it into a lever called a serpentine on the side of the musket. When he pressed the trigger, the lever lowered the burning match towards the pan. The musketeer had to keep adjusting the match as it burnt down.

    When ordered to fire, the musketeer opened the pan cover, and pressed the trigger. The burning end of the match set off the priming powder and the flash from that passed into the barrel through the touch hole and fired the main charge.

    Musketeers were grouped in large bodies and each rank would fire together to maximise the effect. A good musketeer could fire 2 or 3 shots a minute. The matchlock musket was not accurate at ranges over 100m. There were several drill books printed at the time to show trainee musketeers the various drill movements involved in the loading sequence. The most famous is the Dutch manual "The Exercise of Arms " by Jacob DeGheyn first published in 1608.

Komentáře • 56

  • @corinth492
    @corinth492 Před 12 lety +55

    That uniform is 1690 of the williamite era, just at the introduction of flint lock musket, so it is not completely innacurate

    • @centurionedward2934
      @centurionedward2934 Před rokem +3

      Looks nothing like willimite more Scottish rebellion of 1750 or so

    • @joeerickson516
      @joeerickson516 Před rokem +1

      "Yo ho ho and a bottle 🍾 of rum!" 🥃 🏴‍☠️ ☠️

    • @corinth492
      @corinth492 Před rokem +3

      ​@@centurionedward2934 Couldn't be more wrong! Look at the loose fitting of the jacket, the size of the hat, the sash around his waist, and the large boots, the apostle bandolier, and the match lock musket, all of which are Williamite. There was no "Scottish rebellion of 1750" if you are referring to the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, the uniforms of that time were far more trimmed and closely fitted, the tricorn hat was smaller and the ammunition was kept in a cartridge box. The only thing that resembles the mid 18th century is the regimental facing on his coat

    • @centurionedward2934
      @centurionedward2934 Před rokem +1

      @@corinth492 I dunno man

    • @backtonovember5306
      @backtonovember5306 Před rokem +3

      @@corinth492 BRO CAME BACK 11 YEARS LATER LEGENDDD

  • @robertcorbell1006
    @robertcorbell1006 Před 10 lety +25

    Matchlocks were used well into the 18th and even 19th centuries in many places, such as the 'Monkey Gun" in India, the Tanageshima Island gun of Japan, and up to after WWII in Tibet by guerrillas fighting the Red Army.

    • @greycatturtle7132
      @greycatturtle7132 Před rokem +1

      Ye

    • @joeerickson516
      @joeerickson516 Před rokem +2

      "15 men 🚹 and a dead ☠️ man's chest.!"
      "Yo ho ho and a bottle 🍾 of rum!" 🥃 🏴‍☠️ ☠️

  • @AccordingtoBear
    @AccordingtoBear Před 12 lety +5

    @LutzDerLurch Agreed! Looks kind of like a revolutionary war/30 years war mash-up I guess?
    Still, I think it's even cooler that he's being instructed in drill by a colonial Zululand soldier!

  • @LutzDerLurch
    @LutzDerLurch Před 13 lety +9

    The Uniforms looks a bit too late for a matchlock, I dare say.

  • @civilwarbuff212
    @civilwarbuff212 Před 11 lety

    hell of a uniform

  • @flypast9725
    @flypast9725 Před 2 lety +1

    To anyone saying it’s the wrong uniform, just remember that new equipment didn’t replace the older stuff over night, something it took years and years, also I’m pretty sure he was demonstrating other weapons from other time periods.

  • @wuamerurg3649
    @wuamerurg3649 Před 3 lety +2

    Some people were scared in the background at the moment of the shot! hahaha!

  • @Warbeast911
    @Warbeast911 Před 11 lety

    intresting flasks

  • @drtrekwars
    @drtrekwars Před 12 lety

    what festival was this? and how often do you attend these sorts of things and how could I find out when things like these are on?

  • @Verdunveteran
    @Verdunveteran Před 12 lety +2

    Very good! :)

  • @LutzDerLurch
    @LutzDerLurch Před 12 lety +1

    @Jeansschwimmer Jipp :)
    Just thought the Uniform looked a bit more like the Flintlock-Periode.

  • @stephen9869
    @stephen9869 Před 8 lety +8

    I would love to see the Brown Bess musket or similar firing rifled slugs. Can somebody please make a video on it?

    • @tommiatkins3443
      @tommiatkins3443 Před 5 lety +3

      No They cant. Firstly the Brown Bess is smoothbore. Next The Brown Bess is 0.75 caliber or 19.05 mm. No rifled bullet comes in that caliber and so would neither fit down the barrel or would be so loose as to be dangerous to the firer.
      Next. The Brown Bess is a black powder weapon. A rifled cartridge would just not work in it as the powder flash would hit a sealed unit cartridge and have no effect. The Brass would then be stick in the weapon ruining it.
      Next. Rifled bullets work by engaging the rifling within a barrel, which imparts spin and stability on the bullet. The Brown bess has no rifling.
      Next ....Try to learn some basics about weapons before commenting what you think would "Be Cool".
      If you are young, please ignore this post.

    • @BigHorseFilm
      @BigHorseFilm Před 5 lety +4

      @@tommiatkins3443 No need to be a jackass about it, he was just curious.

    • @tommiatkins3443
      @tommiatkins3443 Před 5 lety +3

      @@BigHorseFilm Well, it's difficult because I'm a jackass.

    • @theprancingprussian
      @theprancingprussian Před 9 měsíci

      You may be thinking of the pattern 51 or 53 enfield
      Both were minie rifles so could load at similar speed to a loose fit smoothbore but have double the average effective range

    • @theprancingprussian
      @theprancingprussian Před 9 měsíci

      ​@@tommiatkins3443when he said slug I think he just meant the lead ball and brown bess was a general term for British gun loaded from the front, your "new wife"
      He probably meant the pattern 51 or 53 enfield

  • @sovietgergerd
    @sovietgergerd Před 5 lety

    Is that Colm Meaney (Miles O'Brian from Star Trek Deep Space Nine) shooting the musket?

  • @Trolleyatthestation
    @Trolleyatthestation Před 5 lety +3

    That looks like a new matchlock musket that was made in this century.

    • @corpsebrood6669
      @corpsebrood6669 Před 3 lety +1

      @Andrew Flintlocks are useless. Percussion muskets are superior.

    • @Bunny-zn7ke
      @Bunny-zn7ke Před 2 lety

      @@corpsebrood6669 they're not useles

    • @falloutpropguy
      @falloutpropguy Před 2 lety

      @@corpsebrood6669 I've had way more percussion guns not fire then flintlocks

  • @joncal4713
    @joncal4713 Před rokem

    Back in Daniel Boone's time people used powder Horn so did people in the Civil War

  • @LutzDerLurch
    @LutzDerLurch Před 12 lety

    @asmrbear Haha, true...I gues some multiperiode Programm...

  • @cloroxbleach9222
    @cloroxbleach9222 Před 6 lety +6

    50 seconds to load, not bad.

    • @mahendrawankhade3533
      @mahendrawankhade3533 Před 3 lety +1

      It was a much time friend as it was a muzzle reloder there was a danger by enemy clavery thank that there was bayonets at that age

  • @darksoul1381
    @darksoul1381 Před 8 lety +8

    how much does your eye sting after firing that?

    • @thehistoadian
      @thehistoadian Před 3 lety

      Eyes usually aren't affected when firing mathclocks or flintlocks

    • @2dhoes03
      @2dhoes03 Před 3 lety +1

      Just close your eyes just before firing

  • @CouldBeNero
    @CouldBeNero Před 3 lety +1

    Right gun wrong era

  • @icecorebaby
    @icecorebaby Před 4 lety +2

    Who made the replica! I want one!

  • @LutzDerLurch
    @LutzDerLurch Před 12 lety

    Ah, thank you very much. I am a bit out of my "Area of Expertise" in the End of the 17th. C. Thank you for clearing Things up. :)

  • @thehistoadian
    @thehistoadian Před 3 lety +4

    The commentator is wearing an infantry tunic, artillery/engineer trousers and a badge on the Foreign Service Helmet which wasn't done, smh

  • @FrameDrumAndFlute
    @FrameDrumAndFlute Před 2 lety

    Great demonstration. It seem like there is some pontential for eye injury with this system. No?

  • @megapixel4664
    @megapixel4664 Před 4 lety

    Reloading a matchlock takes a long time to reload

  • @GospodinJean
    @GospodinJean Před 3 lety +3

    English be like: Have you got a loycense for such a deadly assault weapon mate?

  • @Japinoyboi2004
    @Japinoyboi2004 Před 3 lety

    Arsenal Musket be like

  • @BarrelsPolesandJack
    @BarrelsPolesandJack Před 3 lety

    So that thing has, like, hardly any kick at all to it.

  • @CplCaptGenlWhiskers
    @CplCaptGenlWhiskers Před 8 lety +19

    1. Totally wrong uniform for the era of the gun.
    2. Coat open, so no protection from burns.
    3. Do NOT try your match by using the tricker.
    If you are going to demonstrate the use of a firearm, at least try to get it safe, even if you can't get it right.

    • @fdsdh1
      @fdsdh1 Před 8 lety

      +Paul Wisken what was wrong with the uniform it looked sort of civil war-ish

    • @lawofscotland
      @lawofscotland Před 8 lety +2

      It was the english civil war

    • @blaiseglowiak3833
      @blaiseglowiak3833 Před 7 lety +6

      Definitely a early to mid 18th century uniform. Tricorne hats and coats with turnbacks were definitely not in style in the mid 17th century.

    • @Jsjeuducjejwjsif
      @Jsjeuducjejwjsif Před 5 lety +3

      Stop being a smartass. No one likes a smart ass

    • @counterfeit6089
      @counterfeit6089 Před 4 lety +2

      That's how that style of coat was worn. It may be the wrong coat but it's being worn in the correct way. The lapels weren't fastened together until the second half of the 18th century.