A demonstration of an American flintlock long rifle.

[panzermann88]

Generally good demonstration, but I would never put my hand over the muzzle while the rifle is loaded, as the demonstrator does while shoving the ramrod down. And yes, I know how hard it is to push that wooden ramrod all the way down especially after the bore is a little fouled, but don't put your palm over the muzzle.

[bigwijj]

boath of you guys are right about what won the war of independence it was a combonation of boath

[MercuryRis]

Does anyone know how much a kentucky long rifle weights vs the Old bessie? Im doing a paper on the rifle this semester. Thanks.

[whrag]

You're wrong, no, you're wrong-come on everyone-get off your high-horses and give the next guy a break. There are as many theories to how the war was won as their were battles and unless you were there, firsthand, I suggest you let the other guy have an opinion without being right or wrong!

[megadeth22885]

why cant anyone on youtube demonstrate anything classical or antique without playing dress-up?

[StealthMonkey25]

@megadeth22885 without the proper dress he wouldn't have all of the tools on hand to load the rifle

[camerl2009]

@StealthMonkey25 yep the but clothes dont need to be just the bag and all the tools

:)

[mark3smle]

they can have more recoil than smokeless powder arms because it takes more powder to propel the ball at a decent speed. granted round balls take off much faster than a conical bullet, but due to a low SD, velocity sheds as much as 50 percent at 100 yards

[camerl2009]

@mark3smle the recoil is way differnt in blackpowder the smokeless

why smokeless has a shrp kick and blackpowder has a push



[Pustic2]

@castleahh - Actually, you're wrong and castleahh IS correct. When the mountain boys got in the action, they used guerrilla war tactics that they learned from the Indians along with their long rifles against the British. The mountain men did not play by the rules and turned the tide of the war in their favor. They were the sharpshooters and snipers.

[mark3smle]

@Pustic2 are you referring to the western pioneers or the moutain men of the late fur trade?

[wilb6657]

@Pustic2 Yeah....but they managed to sniper a British officer here, snipe a British officer there. But they, by themselves did not win the war. Think about it. A long rifle is slow to load-marksmen facing a British line could get, maybe two shots off before the Brits would close with them and annihliate them. Guerilla tactics were great but they didn't win the war. Disciplined line infantry who could actually stand up to the Brits won the war.

[Geuvesa]

@wilb6657 And all thanks to that crazy german bastard Baron Von Staufen!

[sandythebear]

god save king george....jk

[castleahh]

actually, it was the green mountain boys who fought with guerrilla war against the British, but when George Washington formed his army, he modeled it after European armies and from that point on, most fighting was done in the same fashion as the British did, and that's when the revolutionaries started to take a lot of casualties. George Washington wasn't the great general he is held up as.

[orckiller91]

hell of alot better then gates

[wilb6657]

@castleahh Actually, you're wrong. The War of Independence was won by the heavy, line infantry who were able to go toe-to-toe with the British. Not by the long-rifle wielding frontiersmen. Discipline and drill won the war. And George Washington may not have been the best general of the 18th century, but he was cunning, and he was able to keep his army alive, until the British withdrew from the war.

[mark3smle]

@wilb6657 i would some how have to disagree. but washington only kept the british so long in america that it made the home front now want to continue an expensive war. i think long rifle wielding frontiersmen were important as were militias for attacking supply lines and luring them away from support.

[ricklavo]

haha, didnt we steel them from the english

[bobbins911]

I thought the chinese invented them. It wasn't the english, we're too simple for that... I think our best invention has been the cat flap.

[ahz123]

yes, and liposuction.

[Allyness92]

bobbins911 or mabye the world wide web? =p

[Naturepheonix]

The blackpowder or "Charge"

was invented by us Chinese people.

The guns itself are invented by some other guy.

[hondaracer85cc]

GERMANS brought it over in 1710

[nunvikingsofthesea]

smoothbore or mine ball?

[Baal616]

It's not smoothbore or using a minea ball. It's a flintlock rifle that uses a patched round ball. The cloth patch helps the ball fit the barrel better and engage the rifling. This flintlock rifle is similar to those that caused so much trouble for Redcoat Officers

[ahz123]

Those pesky officers seem to have acquired perforations they didn't have previously!

The Brit brass were quite peeved about our officer-sniping ways.

[Baal616]

Bloody unsporting it was. Those poor royalist elitists...

[FrozenEMT]

Id like to know roughly what time period the re-enactor is portraying. Im a re-enactor myself looking to change time periods that i portray and he had some really nice looking garments going on there. If anybody has any first hand info, Id love to know.

[Cosmoline]

Roughly, I'd say a voyager or HBC trapper of the early 19th century beaver trapping period. But there's some obvious practical anachronisms and I think he's trying to get a general sense across not a perfect recreation.

[ChromeGhost0219]

are you still doing this?

[heathound]

how comes they hardly have any recall??

[BrianGriffin66]

I think it was a blank.

[hises]

It wasn't a blank, you can watch him load the ball quite clearly.

They don't have very much recoil because black powder isn't as powerful as modern smokeless powder.

[BrianGriffin66]

Cool fact, I didn't know that!

[FrozenEMT]

Also it burns significantly slower giving less powerful combustion at the breach which is where your recoil comes from. The unfortunate part of that is that the ball also has a much slower muzzle velocity which in the original rifles would have contributed to slightly less accuracy (though almost not noticeable) and a little less "knockdown" force. Though again, I have taken deer and moose with my .50 caliber with a clean neck shot, so I dont see it as a problem.

[swordmanjohn]

Acually black powder burns faster. modern powder is a propellent and black powder is an explosive but yes they have less velocity but plenty of knock down power.

[pugsrok]

@hises Also a lead ball weighs much less than a slug type projectile, so therefore there is less recoil.

[19thepyrochilibean]

you didn't see him shove down the ball?

[19thepyrochilibean]

it's a pretty big ol' musket, maybe the weight absorbs it, maybe the longness of the gun has something to do with it.

[spookysaurus]

Well presented, clearly demonstrated, sympathetic presenter. Good work!

[lobbs75]

very nice and well done video. thanks for posting