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Are there any good websites about muskets (say from the 18th to 19th century) out there? Google has failed me.

I do not know of a comprehensive website, but if you are seeking data about particular model of musket or musket use in general, I could consult my sources a try to find an answer.

Laudon wrote:I do not know of a comprehensive website, but if you are seeking data about particular model of musket or musket use in general, I could consult my sources a try to find an answer.

I just wanted to find out about the types of muskets (and rifles) used by armies in the Napoleonic Wars.

I just wanted to find out about the types of muskets (and rifles) used by armies in the Napoleonic Wars.

This narrows subject matter nicely.
The principal french firearm was An 1777 musket (known as Charleville), some informations are to be found here: http://www.militaryheritage.com/musket4.htm . The french do not used rifled firearms, but some other models of carbines were used by cavalry.

The main british firearm was Land pattern musket (known as Brown Bess), informations here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Bess or also at http://www.militaryheritage.com . The british rifles (95th Foot and some 60th Foot) as well as some Kings german legion troops used famous Baker rifle, light cavalry was equipped with (very) short Paget carbine.

I am writting this from memory, so I am not remembering exact types of firearms for other countries (for Austrians, the 1754 ordinäre comissflinte was probably phased out by the time of napoleonic wars), but I could elaborate further, if desired.

Cool thanks, just what I needed.

I've heard that the Russian army of the period was horribly equipped, with many incompatible types of muskets of generally poor quality. Is this correct? Can you shed some light on this, and maybe recommend a good source?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

fgalkin wrote:I've heard that the Russian army of the period was horribly equipped, with many incompatible types of muskets of generally poor quality.

I am no expert on napoleonic russian army, but this notion is probably at least partly right. There really were frequent changes of service firearm model (with different calibres) and only two main manufactures producing them. The quality of their products was... varying. Some conclusion could be made from the fact that imported british muskets were given to best soldiers (either as a reward, or to provide sharpshooters with more precise weapon).

According to Laurence Spring in Russian Grenadiers and infantry 1779-1815 (Osprey, I know, but he is citing primary source), some Reginald Heber paid visit to russian arsenals in 1805

Reginald Heber wrote:Here in St. Petersburg... is the manufacture of arms. All the Russian muskets, their screws, locks, stock, worn-pickers and all other of the most minute parts are made in conformity to an exact gauge, by this excellent system nothing is wasted, as from two or three useless muskets they may always make one good one, and all the sound parts of their unserviceable arms may be always made use for the repairs of others... But in Tula arsenal... the guns made here look very neat, but the springs, locks etc. are all bad, and the guns very apt to burst when they are discharged.

But I am not sure if the russian weapons deserve to be called "horrible". I would call them sufficient. The contemporary tactic was not so much dependent on weapon quality and the russian infantry certainly was not disqualified by the quality of their arms on the battlefield. Even the Brown Bess was prone to misfire one in six shots and accurancy and range was generally poor.

fgalkin wrote:I've heard that the Russian army of the period was horribly equipped, with many incompatible types of muskets of generally poor quality. Is this correct? Can you shed some light on this, and maybe recommend a good source?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

At the beginning of the 19th century, Russian muskets varied from 5 lines to 8 5/8 lines, with some models dating back to 1700. The main arms factory seems to have been at Tula, which produced 40-45,000 muskets annually. Alexander I opened the plant at Izhevsk, which began production in 1810 of the model 1808, which was essentially a copy of the French Mle1777 musket (a 7 line musket), introduced by General Barclay de Tolly. Most Russian regiments were equipped with the new musket by 1812.

Russian muskets weren't terribly bad - in 1822, the French did a test where their muskets misfired once every 15 shots. Spanish had a 1/22 misfire rate, Russians 1/28, British 1/44, and Austrian 1/62.

The big problem was training - Russian troops might only fire two or three rounds a year, and equipment was modified to be more impressive on drill, but less efficient in combat.

Laudon wrote:

The principal french firearm was An 1777 musket (known as Charleville), some informations are to be found here: http://www.militaryheritage.com/musket4.htm .

Charleville is a reenactorism and is mostly used to describe reproductions of the Model 1766. France had several arsenals and the Charleville was one of the arsenals tooled up to make muskets. I'm not sure about the tooling there during the Napoleonic Wars but during the American Revolution the arsenal was tooled to make Model 1766s rather than the Model 1777s that the French Army used during the war. Many of the Model 1777s were produced at St. Etienne.