How a musket works. The musket is the strength of the infantry and the weapon of the brave soldiers. Features of combat with muskets

The 17th century was quite interesting in terms of the development of firearms. All kinds of matchlocks, wheeled, flintlocks were used by troops around the world. The gradual improvement of both the design and the production base greatly influenced the armaments of the armies.

Here we will try to describe the main weapon systems of 1640-1680, which could be armed with musketeers in Eastern Europe. Consider the three most popular systems: wick, wheel and flint - percussion.

1.Wick lock

Approximately at the end of the 15th century, the design of the matchlock acquired the features that would be characteristic of it in the future.

The design can be divided, conditionally, into two nodes - a shelf and a lock. At the beginning of the century they were separated, by the end of the century they began to be combined into one structure.

A seed gunpowder was poured onto the shelf before the shot, designed to ignite the main charge in the barrel. To prevent an accidental shot, the shelf was covered from above with a sliding lid. Before the shot, the shooter pushed her back. On the shelf there was also a special shield (firescreen) - a kind of screen that protected the eyes from a flash of flame when fired. As a rule, the shelf was located directly on the trunk on the right side.

The main task of the castle is to set fire to the seed gunpowder on the shelf. To do this, before the shot, the wick was clamped in an arc (serpent) and lowered onto an open shelf with a special mechanism. The design of the drive was very different - from the simplestS- figurative arc, to more advanced mechanisms driven by springs.

The design itself was very simple and extremely unpretentious. This allowed her to stay in service with the European armies almost until the Northern War.

But she also had some drawbacks. The main thing can be called the need for the shooter to always have a lighted wick with him. And the time it takes to set the wick on the lock before firing. If the first drawback was fought by forcing every 10th soldier to carry a lit wick, then one could not talk about the surprise of the use of weapons.

2 wheel lock

Historians have long debated who should be considered the inventor.wheel lock. We agree on only one thing - this lock could not have been invented without a clock mechanism with numerous wheels, springs and winding keys.

The lock consisted of fifty parts, the most important of which was a notched gear wheel, the axis of which was connected to a spring. After the spring was cocked with a key and the trigger was pressed, the wheel spun, hitting the flint with notches, and the sparks falling from it fell onto the shelf with the seed gunpowder.

Improving the wheel lock, craftsmen soon equipped it with a stopper that securely holds the spring in the cocked state, and a sliding shelf cover. At the same time, a loaded weapon could be kept ready for battle for quite some time. And make a shot with a simple pull of the trigger.

In the 17th century, locks appeared in which the spring was compressed after turning the trigger, equipped with an additional thrust. And a little earlier they were equipped with a shneller, which accelerated and softened the descent.

The main disadvantage of such locks can be called their complexity and, accordingly, the price. Therefore, only a few privileged units were supplied with wheeled weapons in sufficient quantities. And in most armies of the world, they were only in service with officers. Although well-made samples served for a long time and faithfully (by the way, they were used without alterations until the 18th century).

Wheel locks allowed to make the weapon compact. It was only with the advent of this castle that it became possible to manufacture pistols.

3 Flintlock

The next step inimprovement of the ignition system combat charge was the creation in the second half of the 16th century of a flintlock. In contrast to the wheel, sparks were struck in it after one powerful blow of flint on a steel flint. It turned out to be easier, and therefore more reliable. And here historians argue about authorship, although most likely such a device was invented almost simultaneously in several countries. Proof of this is the existence of Dutch, Spanish, Russian, Karelian, Mediterranean, Baltic, Swedish and other varieties of it, which differ in the arrangement of parts and assemblies and the principles of their interaction.

M. le Bourget

At the beginning of the 17th century, a French gunsmithM. le Bourget combined the sliding cover of the shelf with the steel. This knot was called a battery, and the lock itself was called a battery (French). In addition, Le Bourget made the sear not move horizontally, as usual, but vertically, which greatly facilitated the descent. By the end of the century, such locks were produced in almost all European countries. This design lasted about 200 years and was supplanted only by capsule guns.

Here we have posted a selection mainly on matchlock muskets of 1630-1700. since, most likely, mercenary troops in Eastern Europe could be armed with such weapons.

Probably, there is no such person who has not heard the word musket at least once, and even the word “musketeers” derived from this weapon, and even more so. By the way, this word has introduced historical confusion into the ranks of mankind. Thanks to the writer Dumas and his musketeers, mankind has taken root in the delusion that France is considered the birthplace of muskets, but this firearms it was not the French who invented at all, although later they put their hand to the musket in terms of its improvement.

How did the first muskets appear?

In the middle of the 16th century, a firearm called the arquebus appeared, which can be considered the progenitor of the classic musket. For some time, the arquebus was considered a formidable weapon, but it soon became clear that the arquebus was an unreliable weapon. The bullets fired from the arquebus due to their low weight (no more than 20 grams), as well as their modest caliber, were powerless against enemy chain mail and armor, and it was a long matter to charge the arquebus. It was necessary to invent new, more effective firearms.

And such a weapon was invented. History assures that the first long-barreled gun with a wick-lock, later called a musket, appeared in Spain. History has preserved the name of the gunsmith who invented the musket. This is someone Mokketo, who lived in Spanish city Veletra.

The first musket had a long barrel - up to 150 cm. Due to the long barrel, the caliber of the musket also increased. From the new gun, it became possible to fire new charges with big amount gunpowder, which allowed the bullet to fly farther and at higher speeds, resulting in a bullet with more stopping power. Such a bullet could no longer be stopped by chain mail with armor.

The first samples of muskets were quite heavy (up to 9 kg), and therefore it was difficult to carry them with oneself - muskets were fired from pre-prepared positions. And still, shooting from them was not an easy task: when firing, the musket had a strong recoil, and charging required time and skill. Armed with muskets, the soldiers of the European armies (first of all, Spain, Germany and France - as the most powerful powers of the Middle Ages) represented a formidable force.

How to load a musket

Each of us, probably, saw in the films exactly how muskets were loaded. It was a long, complicated and tedious procedure:

The musket was loaded through the muzzle;
Gunpowder was poured into the barrel in the amount necessary for a shot (according to the shooter). However, in order not to make a mistake in the dose of gunpowder during the battle, the powder doses were measured in advance and packed in special bags called chargers. These same chargers were attached to the shooter's belt during firing;
First, coarse-grained gunpowder was poured into the barrel;
Then finer gunpowder, which ignited faster;
With the help of a ramrod, the shooter pushed the bullet into the table;
The charge was pressed against a constantly smoldering wick;
The ignited gunpowder threw a bullet out of the barrel.

It was believed that if the entire charging procedure is no more than two minutes, then this is wonderful. In this case, it became possible to fire a volley first, which was often a guarantee of victory in the battle.

Features of combat with muskets

A warrior armed with a musket was called a musketeer. A bullet fired from a musket could win a battle, which, in general, happened. When firing from muskets in one gulp, it was possible to lay down a whole line of the enemy at a distance of up to 200 meters. The weight of musket bullets could be 60 grams. Musket bullets knocked out armored knights from their saddles.

Still, firing a musket was no easy task. It took a long time to load the musket. The recoil when firing was such that it could knock the shooter off his feet. To protect themselves, the shooters put on special helmets, and also tied a special pillow to their shoulders. Due to the complexity of shooting, there were two people with the musket: one loaded the weapon, the other fired, and the loader supported him so that the shooter would not fall.

In order to be able to shoot muskets faster, the armies of many countries came up with various tricks. One of these tricks, which history has preserved, was as follows. Musketeers lined up in a square, consisting of several lines. While the first rank fired, the rest loaded their muskets. Having fired, the first line gave way to another, with loaded guns, and that - to the third, fourth, and so on. Thus, musket fire could be carried out constantly.

In the 16th century, during the battle, it was musket shooting that was the decisive condition for victory. Often the side that first managed to fire a volley at the enemy won. If the first volley did not give a decisive result, then there was no time to shoot again from the musket - everything was decided in close combat.

Double-barreled musket: the history of its appearance

In order to get out of the situation, it was necessary to somehow increase the rate of fire of the musket. However, rapid firing of matchlock muskets was impossible. The matchlock musket, by virtue of its design, simply could not fire quickly. It was necessary to invent some new musket, from which it would be possible to shoot faster.

The double-barreled musket was invented. The advantage of a double-barreled musket over a single-barreled one was obvious: instead of one shot, it could fire two, that is, shoot twice as fast. It was a kind of weapons revolution, but for unknown reasons, the double-barreled musket in the infantry units of the European powers could not take root. By the way, it is the double-barreled musket that is the progenitor of our hunting rifle - continuity through the centuries.

Pirate musket - the prototype of the modern pistol

But the double-barreled musket, like the single-barreled one, aroused the interest of the pirates of the 16th century. In subsequent centuries, up to the 19th century, when muskets were replaced by more advanced weapons, and the pirates themselves for the most part sunk into historical oblivion, pirate enthusiasm about this did not decrease at all. It was the pirates who, in the first place, had a hand in improving muskets and contributing to the appearance of the first pistols.

Unlike the army, the "knights of fortune" were the first to fully appreciate what a firearm is and what an advantage it gives to those who own it and know how to handle it. Heavy musket bullets could easily put a merchant ship out of action, as a result of which it became an easy prey for filibusters. In addition, in hand-to-hand combat, a pirate armed with a musket was a very formidable combat unit.

To make it more convenient to shoot from a musket and carry it with you, the pirates thought about improving it. Most of all, the French sea robbers succeeded in this. They were the first to think of making the musket barrel shorter, reducing its size and caliber, and equipping the weapon with a pistol grip. The result was an easy-to-handle musket, which became the forerunner of modern pistols and revolvers.

Separate versions of the shortened musket were nicknamed by the pirates as musketons. They differed from ordinary muskets in their shortened appearance, as well as the extension at the end of the barrel. Blunderbuss could fire shot and hit several opponents at once. In addition, the blunderbusses had a very loud sound when fired, which produced a frightening effect on the enemy. psychological impact. By the way, not only pirates, but also peaceful ships of that time were equipped with muskets and musketons to suppress mutinies on ships.

Further improvement of the musket

Meanwhile, the authorities of the leading European powers did not doze off either. Their master gunsmiths also thought about improving the musket. Several European powers at once achieved impressive results in this matter.

The Dutch succeeded first. Their craftsmen designed lighter muskets. The troops armed with such muskets were more mobile, and it became easier to shoot from the muskets themselves. In addition, the Dutch improved the barrel of the musket by making soft steel musket barrels. As a result, musket barrels no longer burst when fired.

German craftsmen also made a significant contribution to the improvement of the musket. They improved the firing mechanism of the musket. Instead of the wick method of firing, the flint method appeared. The flintlock gun, which replaced the matchlock, was a revolution in the development of weapons in medieval Europe. The lever in the wick mechanism was replaced by a trigger, when pressed, the spring with flint was released, the flint hit the flint, as a result of which a spark was struck and ignited the gunpowder, which, in turn, ejected the bullet from the barrel. It was much easier to shoot from a flintlock gun than from a matchlock.

The French were not far behind. First, they changed the stock of the musket: it became longer and flatter. Secondly, they were the first to equip muskets with bayonets, as a result of which muskets could be used as melee weapons. Thirdly, they adapted a battery lock to the gun. Thus, the French musket turned into the most advanced firearm at that time. As a result, the flintlock gun replaced the matchlock. In fact, it was French flintlock muskets that Napoleon's army was armed with, as well as the Russian army that opposed it.

The main parts of the musket until the very end of its existence remained unchanged. Some individual details different time was modified, but the principle of operation itself did not change. This applies to such parts as the stock, stock, working mechanism.

Musket as part of history and culture

By by and large, it was with the musket that the development and improvement began small arms worldwide. On the one hand, the musket gave rise to guns, rifles, carbines, machine guns and machine guns, and on the other hand, to short-barreled weapons like pistols and revolvers. That is why these ancient weapons exhibits are part of history.

On the other hand, muskets are a cultural and collectible value. The presence of an old model of weapons can be the pride of a true amateur collector. In addition, some samples are decorated with precious metals and stones, which further increases their cultural significance.

Probably, there is no such person who has not heard the word musket at least once, and even the word “musketeers” derived from this weapon, and even more so. By the way, this word has introduced historical confusion into the ranks of mankind. Thanks to the writer Dumas and his musketeers, mankind has taken root in the delusion that France is considered the birthplace of muskets, but it was not the French who invented this firearm at all, although later they put their hand to the musket in terms of its improvement.

How did the first muskets appear?

And such a weapon was invented. History assures that the first long-barreled gun with a wick-lock, later called a musket, appeared in Spain. History has preserved the name of the gunsmith who invented the musket. This is someone Mokketo, who lived in the Spanish city of Veletra.

The first musket had a long barrel - up to 150 cm. Due to the long barrel, the caliber of the musket also increased. The new gun was able to fire new charges with more gunpowder, which allowed the bullet to fly further and with greater speed, resulting in a bullet with more stopping power. Such a bullet could no longer be stopped by chain mail with armor.

How to load a musket

Each of us, probably, saw in the films exactly how muskets were loaded. It was a long, complicated and tedious procedure:

The musket was loaded through the muzzle;
Gunpowder was poured into the barrel in the amount necessary for a shot (according to the shooter). However, in order not to make a mistake in the dose of gunpowder during the battle, the powder doses were measured in advance and packed in special bags called chargers. These same chargers were attached to the shooter's belt during firing;
First, coarse-grained gunpowder was poured into the barrel;
Then finer gunpowder, which ignited faster;
With the help of a ramrod, the shooter pushed the bullet into the table;
The charge was pressed against a constantly smoldering wick;
The ignited gunpowder threw a bullet out of the barrel.

It was believed that if the entire charging procedure is no more than two minutes, then this is wonderful. In this case, it became possible to fire a volley first, which was often a guarantee of victory in the battle.

Features of combat with muskets

In the 16th century, during the battle, it was musket shooting that was the decisive condition for victory. Often the side that first managed to fire a volley at the enemy won. If the first volley did not give a decisive result, then there was no time to shoot again from the musket - everything was decided in close combat.

Double-barreled musket: the history of its appearance

Pirate musket - the prototype of the modern pistol

To make it more convenient to shoot from a musket and carry it with you, the pirates thought about improving it. Most of all, the French sea robbers succeeded in this. They were the first to think of making the musket barrel shorter, reducing its size and caliber, and equipping the weapon with a pistol grip. The result was an easy-to-handle musket, which became the forerunner of modern pistols and revolvers.

Separate versions of the shortened musket were nicknamed by the pirates as musketons. They differed from ordinary muskets in their shortened appearance, as well as the extension at the end of the barrel. Blunderbuss could fire shot and hit several opponents at once. In addition, the blunderbusses had a very loud sound when fired, which produced a frightening psychological effect on the enemy. By the way, not only pirates, but also peaceful ships of that time were equipped with muskets and musketons to suppress mutinies on ships.

Further improvement of the musket

The Dutch succeeded first. Their craftsmen designed lighter muskets. The troops armed with such muskets were more mobile, and it became easier to shoot from the muskets themselves. In addition, the Dutch improved the barrel of the musket by making soft steel musket barrels. As a result, musket barrels no longer burst when fired.

The main parts of the musket until the very end of its existence remained unchanged. Some individual parts were modified at different times, but the principle of operation itself did not change. This applies to such parts as the stock, stock, working mechanism.

Musket as part of history and culture

By and large, it was with the musket that the development and improvement of small arms all over the world began. On the one hand, the musket gave rise to guns, rifles, carbines, machine guns and machine guns, and on the other hand, to short-barreled weapons like pistols and revolvers. That is why these ancient weapons exhibits are part of history.

"The new name, musket, appeared around 1530 in Italy. The origin of this term is rather vague. Since many large artillery pieces bore the names of various living creatures, the use of the word "moschetto" - a musket, as they call a young male sparrowhawk - does not seem at all strange. The Italians themselves, however, were among the first to associate this word with the name of the inventor, whose name was Moschetta from Feltro. There was also an assumption about the Spanish origin of the term - precisely from the word "mascas" or "masquas", which means "sparks from the fire." Another version of the birthplace of this weapon indicates Russia, which at that time was called Muscovy.

There are muskets in Dresden dating back to 1570 and 1573, and the first versions of these weapons, which appeared in France, were so heavy that they could only be fired by leaning on a support. In England, the musket was initially unpopular, but by 1570 military theorists who had seen it in action during the Continental Wars began to push for its use. Thus, the list of equipment issued in 1577 to the troops sent to help the Dutch included "muskets with powder flasks and firing supports."

In the case of the musket, the Germans had to be content with a military term of foreign origin, and the military inventory of the city of Würzburg from 1584 lists "muscaten", "halbe-musketen" and "dop-pel-musketen"1. As for the prices of these weapons, in 1588 the citizens of the city of Norwich paid 27 shillings for each of the muskets produced in England with bipods, powder flasks and "wick boxes". By 1620 the price had dropped to 1 pound 8 pence, and in 1632 a musket cost 15 shillings 6 pence, a bipod 10 pence and a charge bag another 2 shillings 6 pence.

By the early 17th century, the musket was still a cumbersome weapon, as Sir Thomas Kelly reports in 1623 that its barrel was 4 feet long and had a caliber of 12 bullets per pound.

However, the musket was subject to improvements and became lighter, so that by the time of the English civil war the need to use a bipod disappeared. The old name continued to be used to refer to the most common type of firearm, which is fired from the shoulder. This continued until rifled muskets became so popular that they were simply referred to as "rifles."

(With) William Karman. "The history of firearms from ancient times to the 20th century"

“Musket, assassin of the Middle Ages.

What is the difference between a musket and an arquebus? Size! With a weight of 7-9 kilograms, the musket had a caliber of 22-23 millimeters and a barrel about one and a half meters long. Only in Spain - the most technically developed country Europe of that time - they could make a durable and relatively light barrel of such a length and caliber.

Naturally, it was possible to shoot from such a bulky and massive gun only from a prop, and it was necessary to serve it together. But a bullet weighing 50-60 grams flew out of the musket at a speed of over 500 meters per second. She not only killed the armored horse, but also stopped it. The musket hit with such force that the shooter had to wear a cuirass or a leather pillow on his shoulder so that the recoil would not split his collarbone.

The long barrel provided the musket with relatively good accuracy for a smooth gun. The musketeer hit a person no longer from 20-25, but from 30-35 meters. But much greater value had an increase in the effective range of volley fire up to 200-240 meters. At all this distance, the bullets retained the ability to hit knight horses and pierce the iron armor of pikemen. The musket combined the capabilities of the arquebus and the pikes, and became the first weapon in history that gave the shooter the opportunity to repel the onslaught of cavalry in the open. The musketeers did not have to run away from the cavalry for the battle, therefore, unlike the arquebusiers, they made extensive use of armor. Throughout the 16th century, there were few musketeers in European armies. Musketeer companies (detachments of 100-200 people) were considered the elite of the infantry and were formed from the nobility. This was partly due to the high cost of weapons (as a rule, a riding horse was also included in the musketeer's equipment). But even more important were the high requirements for durability. When the cavalry rushed to the attack, the musketeers had to repel it or perish”

A classic example of a matchlock musket from the 16th and 17th centuries

17th century Dutch musketeer

Most people know very roughly. First of all, this word is associated with the heroes of the novels by A. Dumas - the famous French musketeers. Many will be surprised to learn that the first musket did not appear at all in France, and the French have nothing to do with its invention. And they first learned about what a musket was in completely unpleasant circumstances for themselves.

The history of the appearance of the musket

By the beginning of the 16th century, the equipment of soldiers had reached such a level that the “light” firearms available at that time simply lost their effectiveness. The bullets fired from the arquebus (the predecessor of the musket), due to their low weight (18-20 grams) and small caliber, could not penetrate the armor and chain mail of the enemy soldiers. A new weapon was required, with increased damaging properties. And the invention of granular gunpowder became a fundamental factor for the modernization of weapons and the creation of a musket.

The first musket (a gun with a long barrel and a matchlock) appeared in Spain, and, according to some historians, it was invented by the Spanish gunsmith Mokketo from the city of Veletra. His invention had a barrel, the length of which reached 140 cm. It was the increase in the length of the barrel that made it possible to increase the caliber of the gun and the mass of the gunpowder charge, and, accordingly, its firing range and penetration ability.

But to increase the length of the barrel just allowed granular gunpowder. It did not need to be pushed to the breech of the gun with a ramrod, as was required to be done with the powder pulp that stuck to the walls of the bore. Now the powder granules were poured to the breech without outside help, and the wad was hammered on top with a ramrod. In addition, such gunpowder burned densely and evenly, which also increased initial speed and bullet range.

Characteristics of the first musket

The total length of the musket was 180 cm, and it weighed about 8 kg, so a support was needed when firing. A buffet table (stand) was placed, which was stuck into the ground at one end, and a supporting trunk lay on the other.

With an increase in caliber to 23 mm (for an arquebus it was 15-17 mm), the weight of the bullet also increased. At the musket, she began to weigh 50-60 grams. The firing range at the same time was 200-240 meters, and at that distance the bullet easily pierced the most durable armor. However, to hit the enemy with a musket, you had to try very hard. There was only a 60% chance that a two-by-two-meter target set at a distance of 70 meters would be hit.

In addition, only a person with a good physical training. In order to somehow soften the blow, a padded pad was put on the shoulder, which played the role of a shock absorber.

In order to load the musket, it was necessary to perform a whole ritual.

The musket was loaded through the muzzle hole. Gunpowder was poured into it from a special wooden case (charger), which was necessary for firing one shot. Gunpowder in the charges, which were hung on the gunner's harness, was measured in advance. Fine gunpowder was poured onto the seed shelf of the musket from the natruska (small powder flask). The bullet was pushed into the barrel with the help of a ramrod. The charge was ignited with a smoldering wick, which was pressed by a lever against the seed shelf. The gunpowder ignited and pushed the bullet out.

Thus, it took about 2 minutes to prepare for a shot, at that time it was considered a good rate of fire.

Initially, only infantry was armed with muskets, and the calculation for servicing the musket consisted of two people: the second number watched the burning wick, and also carried ammunition and a buffet table.

for musketeers

Due to the low rate of fire, special tactics were used for the use of muskets. Soldiers armed with muskets lined up in a rectangular square, the depth of which could reach 12 ranks. After the first rank fired a volley, she gave way to the next, while she herself retreated to the end of the formation to reload muskets. Thus, the shooting was carried out almost continuously. Musketeers performed all actions on command, including the loading process.

Armament with muskets of Europe

In 1515, the French first learned what a musket was in a battle with Spanish soldiers. Musket bullets easily pierced the strongest armor. The Spaniards, with the help of their long-barreled novelties, won an unconditional victory over the French.

In 1521, muskets were already adopted en masse by the Spanish army. And in 1525, again in the battle with the French, which received the historical name "Battle of Pavia", the Spaniards showed in all their glory all the superiority of muskets over other weapons. The Musketeers proved to be an insurmountable wall for the French cavalry.

It was after this battle that they decided to learn more about what a musket is in Europe. They began to equip infantry units in France and Germany, and later - in other European states.

In the future, the musket began to undergo improvements. Gunsmiths from Germany replaced the wick Trigger, which replaced the lever, released a spring with a flint, which, when hit on an armchair, cut out sparks that ignited gunpowder. The need for a wick disappeared.

The Dutch improved the barrel. They replaced the metal from which it was made with a softer one. This ruled out cases of its rupture when fired.

The Spaniards, borrowing the experience of the Dutch and lightening the musket to 4.5 kg, created weapons for the cavalry. Such a musket became universal, it could be used in any kind of military service, which was done in all European armies.