How not to fire a musket!.AVI

[puffin51]

With matchlocks, the research by Firepower indicates that somewhere around 25% of shots ordered were not fired because the piece missed fire. This could go much higher if the powder were not perfectly dry.

This explains why musketry had to be massed. The only way to muster enough flying lead to prevent the enemy from overrunning the position was to mass the muskets. (It also deterred cavalry.)

Of course, it also turned the musketeers into an ideal artillery target, but hey.

[MassEffectFVR]

Put the Musket down and get back into the Kitchen..

[seminolewar]

It looks like when she lowered the piece and was talking, that she moved the slow match back over the powder, which caused the firing.

[1607virginian]

@elvisgirl7908...

Working at Jamestown has taught me that misfires with the matchlock are not very common, although they happen to all of us. The interpreter in this video followed some safety procedures, as you pointed out, but unfortunately not all of them, or she wouldn't have been startled by the accidental discharge which followed her misfire. There's a learning curve here, and fortunately there were no serious problems from this incorrect following of the misfire procedure.

[catmankev1]

Thanks. I'll tell my students your comment. It's great to learn from lots of different people. Chips cool too. Kevin

[elvisgirl7908]

actually---the students learned just the right thing. misfires with a match lock musket are quite common, and this interpreter kept the musket aimed in a safe direction, removed the slow match, and handled the situation perfectly.