Rifled Musket

(noun)

A specific type of firearm made in the mid-nineteenth century that featured a rifled barrel instead of a smoothbore musket.

Related Terms

Examples of Rifled Musket in the following topics:

  • Modern Warfare

    • The most lethal change during the Civil War was the introduction of rifling to muskets.
    • In previous wars, the maximum effective range of a musket was between 70 to 110 meters.
    • Tactics involved moving masses of troops to musket range, firing a volley, and then charging the opposing force with the musket's bayonet.
    • However, a bullet from an aimed rifled musket could hit a soldier more than 1,300 meters away.
    • The use of rifles on the battlefield greatly increased casualties in the Civil War.

  • Colonial Armed Forces

    • Most used fowling pieces, though rifles were sometimes used where available.
    • Neither fowling pieces nor rifles had bayonets.
    • Some colonies purchased muskets, cartridge boxes, and bayonets from England, and maintained armories within the colony.
    • The long rifle was also well suited to this role.
    • The rifling (grooves inside the barrel) gave it a much greater range than the smooth-bore musket, although it took much longer to load.

  • The Battle of New Orleans

    • In the main attack on the right, the British infantrymen either flung themselves to the ground, huddled in the canal, or were mowed down by a combination of musket fire and grapeshot from the Americans.
    • The 95th Rifles had advanced in open skirmish order ahead of the main assault force and were concealed in the ditch below the parapet, unable to advance further without support.

  • The Boston Massacre and Military Occupation

    • White left his post, challenged Garrick, and struck him on the side of the head with his musket.
    • When they reached Private White on the custom house stairs, the soldiers loaded their muskets and arrayed themselves in a semicircular formation.

  • The Economy of the Middle Colonies

    • The colony also became a major producer of pig iron and its products, including the Pennsylvania long rifle and the Conestoga wagon.

  • The United States and the World

    • In 1887, the Honolulu Rifle Company, a paramilitary force also known as the Honolulu Rifles, deposed the Hawaiian monarchy, forcing the King to sign a new constitution at gunpoint.

  • The George H.W. Bush Administration

    • Bush was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and had campaigned as a "pro-gun" candidate with the NRA's endorsement in 1988.
    • However, in March of 1989 he placed a temporary ban on the import of certain semiautomatic rifles.

  • The Decimation of the Great Bison Herds and the Fight for the Black Hills

    • One version of events claims that during the process of disarming the Lakota, a deaf tribesman named Black Coyote was reluctant to give up his rifle, claiming he had paid a lot for it.
    • A scuffle over Black Coyote's rifle escalated and a shot was fired which resulted in the 7th Cavalry opening fire indiscriminately from all sides, killing men, women, and children, as well as some of their own fellow troopers.

  • The Revolutionary Army at Valley Forge

    • Although he faced many obstacles, including a language barrier and the lack of any pre-existing American military training manuals, Von Steuben proved an extremely valuable asset to Washington’s forces, teaching soldiers how to aim muskets accurately, charge with bayonets, and maneuver together in compact ranks.

  • The Market Revolution

    • Whitney went on to develop muskets with interchangeable parts, a technology employed by northern manufacturers in many different industries.