The Lobsterback Society - Sea Service Firelocks

Text Box: Sea Service Firelock His Majesty’s Marines were armed with the King’s Sea Service Firelock (musket), very similar to the “Brown Bess” musket used by the British Army. The Sea Service Firelock was a slightly plainer version of the Brown Bess with a shorter barrel length, that made it easier to load and fire aboard a crowded ship. The weapon had an overall length of approximately 58 inches, weighed about nine pounds, and was bored to .75 caliber (it fired a three-quarter inch lead ball!). The weapon was called a firelock because the ignition source came from a spark caused by the striking of a flint on the lock mechanism, which ignited the gunpowder in the priming pan, thus igniting the gunpowder in the barrel. Ammunition came in the form of paper cartridges which contained a .74 caliber ball and approximately 110 grains of black powder. These weapons had smooth bores, which limited the accuracy at longer ranges. This meant that upon firing, the lead balls would bounce down the barrel, rather than spin as in a rifle. More accurate rifles were available during the Revolutionary War and were frequently used by Colonial militia with great effect against British forces. However, British Army and Marine units used smooth bore weapon because they were easier to load and could be fired faster. The British preferred greater volume of fire over higher accuracy. These firelocks were deadly at close range (less than 50 yards), but were highly inaccurate at ranges approaching 100 yards or more. The Lobsterback Society has purchased high quality reproductions of the original Sea Service Firelocks. Just like the Marines we portray, each Lobsterback Society Marine is trained as a marksman and must qualify annually at live fire drill and shooting competitions. In August 2007 our members tested the accuracy of the firelocks at ranges of 25, 50, and 75 yards, firing at an oval shaped target the size of a human torso. The results below confirm the conventional wisdom regarding the inaccuracy of the smoothbore musket at long range. We expect that the accuracy results of our test are likely better than those of actual British soldiers and Marines in battle, since no one was shooting at us during the test.

RESULTS OF MUSKET LIVE FIRE TEST

Range

(in yards)

Direct Hit

(Kill Shot)

Near Miss

(Wound Shot)

Total Miss

25

93%

0%

7%

50

27%

46%

27%

75

20%

13%

67%

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