Reload practices in the field without slide lock

[old tanker]

Ref. Muzzle loading rifles in Civil War: The method of fighting in those days was line up and shoot, presenting volley fire until the situation went to independent fire or broke down to the point of losing unit integrity. I've owned and shot a lot with .58 cal replica arms of the civil war. You can easily load and shoot to the point that loading becomes difficult - to the point where you cannot load correctly because of powder fouling. Quality and availability of paper cartridges was an issue with some ammunition being used by the other side...

The British cartridge for the P-53 musket was much prized by both sides. In the early 1850s, the laboratory at the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich solved the fouling problem. With correctly-constructed Enfield cartridges, fouling is controlled and the generously-undersized Pritchett bullets are easy to load, regardless of how long you've been shooting. It is night and day difference when compared to shooting American-style Minies. The only time I revert to Burton style Minies is because of the rules against paper cartridges on some ranges and in NSSA and NMLRA sanctioned competition.

Brett Gibbons' books are most recommended.
The Destroying Angel: The Rifle-Musket as the First Modern Infantry Weapon

The English Cartridge Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket Ammunition

Information

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[DaveHH]

"The Muzzle Loading Cap Lock Rifle" by Ned Roberts goes way into the technology of the weapons. This guy lived it.
Training does mean a lot but how does one explain the fact that " The Thin Red Line " British infantry, the best trained infantry in the world at the time, consistently fired over their intended targets. Or how the Infantry Square was developed to resist attack from Cavalry, but to work required Sergeants armed with swords constantly either slapping , stabbing or killing anyone who tried to run from the formation. At Waterloo, the French skirmishers would haul small artillery pieces to within 100' of the British square, dismount and fire directly into the square, like bowling with human pins. It was wholesale slaughter on a scale beyond belief. At Waterloo, Napoleon's personal guards the Garde Impériale, refused to attack in a final suicidal lunge to save the day. The best the French had quitting on the field. A target range at Valley Forge? More likely a field for execution by firing squad. The Continental Army was so short of powder and lead that anyone firing needlessly were flogged or worse. Read "The British Are Coming" by Rick Atkinson for a genuine account of what really happened at Concord. My great great great grandfather Moses Bruce was one of the Minutemen. My great great grandfather Pvt Lucian Bruce 1st Vermont, was shot and disabled at the battle called The Wilderness. My other Great great grandfather Major Jeremiah Hackett was a Union Cavalry commander in Arkansas.

[Matt_X]

A target range at Valley Forge? More likely a field for execution by firing squad.

Not even close. You're speculating without having even read the report or the published article. Nor does it follow practices of time or the Cont. Army. Further, all executions were in the G.O.

---------- Post added at 02:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:37 PM ----------

Every weapon system has its pros and cons and I for one really like the "hold open" feature as it reduced the reloading process by at least one step and a couple of seconds.

Thankyou. This comes back to a comment posted earlier. The hold open on the M1 carbine's mag followers hold the slide directly. When the magazine is changed the slide is released so it doesn't save any steps in reload.