Battle of Waterloo Attack on La Haye Sainte Farm by Old Collingwood - 1/56 (28mm)

[Canute]

After a trip to the range, we'd take the cap lock rifles apart and put them in a bucket of hot soapy water, after pulling the plug for the percussion cap. Take the ramrod, with a cleaning jag( looked like a big Q-tip) attached and run it in and out of the barrel, siphoning the soapy water thru the hole into the barrel. A few minutes work and clean barrel. Dry it and coat the barrel inside and out with gun oil. Reattach to rifle.

[popeye the sailor]

my brother owns one........not sure if he shoots it on a regular basis.   I think it's bow season up in these parts.

[Papa]

I fired a musket at Williamsburg’s Colonial Village last December. It was quite fun. I have arthritis in my right shoulder and holding that beast up and aiming was a challenge. I did manage to hit the target 2 or 3 times out of 5 tries. 

[Edwardkenway]

I did read in the Mark Urban "Rifles" book that for expediency on the battlefield soldiers would urinate in the barrel to help loosen powder deposits if it became difficult to load.

How much of that is true I cannot say, but it sounds plausible. 

[Canute]

The black powder fouled the barrel fairly quickly. Anything to moisten the buildup to remove it makes sense. One reason they resisted going to rifles as a widespread weapon, I suppose.

[GrandpaPhil]

Very cool!

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, GrandpaPhil said:

Very cool!

Thank you Phil.

 

OC.

[Egilman]

On 9/20/2020 at 6:36 PM, Roger Pellett said:

Trying to effectively handle a muzzleloading musket, or worse yet a rifle in battle  with loose powder is a non-starter.  The answer was cartridges- preloaded powder and ball loaded into a combustable paper tubular envelope.  The drill was to bite off the end of the cartridge, dump the powder down the barrel followed by the ball and wadded up paper, all rammed home.

 

Modern day muzzleloader shooters often swab the barrel between shots.  Soldiers on the battlefield couldn’t do this.  Accounts of Civil War battles often mention muskets picked up after the battle with multiple unfired loads in the barrel and soldiers neglecting to remove their ram rods before firing.  Muskets also became inoperable because of black powder fouling. On the other hand, I have not read of soldiers injured by charges exploding prematurely by unburnt embers left in the barrel.

 

Roger

Yeah it was, but all of the Colonials, French, British and German troops carried powder horns during the revolution, but they were using flintlocks. Cartridges/cartridge boxes didn't take hold in the British army until 1804 or so..... The War 1812 introduced them to the American army.....

[Louie da fly]

I fired a repro 17th century matchlock once (friends of mine re-enacted the Thirty Years War). I was told "lean in to the weapon - a true musketeer has no eyebrows".

 

A different time during a public display one of these guys (they were firing with powder only - not ball) forgot to take his wooden ramrod out of the barrel before he fired. It went into the chest of the guy on the other side and exploded into a thousand pieces within his chest. He was in hospital for a long time. The police put it down as "accidental". Both these guys were good friends of mine. The perpetrator was  devastated (of course so was the victim).

[Canute]

Firing off a ramrod was not unheard of back in the days of muzzle loaders. Some of the American Civil War histories I've read make mention of the ramrod being launched or multiple rounds being packed into the barrel. Men loaded but didn't fire?

[Roger Pellett]

I recently reread a book about the almost year long siege of Petersburg, VA that effectively ended the Civil War.  Obviously a bunch of guys sitting around with a lot of idle time on their hands, between some bouts of horrific fighting.  Apparently shooting ramrods at the other side was a form of amusement.  They made a wierd  sound as they flew through the war.

 

Roger

[mtaylor]

9 hours ago, Canute said:

Firing off a ramrod was not unheard of back in the days of muzzle loaders. Some of the American Civil War histories I've read make mention of the ramrod being launched or multiple rounds being packed into the barrel. Men loaded but didn't fire?

 

That also happened during the not-so-civil Civil War.

[Old Collingwood]

I was tempted to do a diorama on the English Cival War  from the 1600's   (May still  one day)

 

Centered around this  - 

 

OC.

[Edwardkenway]

I do hope you find the time to do an ECW dio.

You don't see many because in my opinion it got swallowed up by the Thirty years war and the grand alliance 

[Old Collingwood]

21 minutes ago, Edwardkenway said:

I do hope you find the time to do an ECW dio.

You see many because in my opinion it got swallowed up by the Thirty years war and the grand alliance 

I was at that actual event with my late farther  - he took me  when I was about  7 or 8    - I was blown away by all the  colour / smell and noise.

 

OC.

[Roger Pellett]

OC,

 

That reinactment looks like pure chaos!  Are injuries, minor or serious common?

 

Roger

[Edwardkenway]

Had to edit my previous post as I meant to say you DON'T  see many ECW dios

[Old Collingwood]

3 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

OC,

 

That reinactment looks like pure chaos!  Are injuries, minor or serious common?

 

Roger

I think there are always some minor injuries  - but dont think anything major, I always wanted  to  be an ECW  reinactor  but  travel  and things  stopped it.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Sorted a grand way of keeping my completed figures safe till they are ready to be displayed - it did have sweets inside but now has a really good use.

 

OC.

 

[Edwardkenway]

Nice bit of recycling OC, I use to have a miniatures carrier for my wargaming figures but it's long gone, so that's a great use of good box😁

Does this mean you are taking a break from the Harrier and tramping back to the barricades 😉?

[Old Collingwood]

3 minutes ago, Edwardkenway said:

Nice bit of recycling OC, I use to have a miniatures carrier for my wargaming figures but it's long gone, so that's a great use of good box😁

Does this mean you are taking a break from the Harrier and tramping back to the barricades 😉?

I have a we bit more to do on my SHAR  and base  then I will either  continue with some more figures as I have a few in my stash  or I might supprise a few and start something else I also have in my stash  from weay back  (think I mensioned my stash somewhere)

 

OC.

[Canute]

Either way we'll be here. Good reuse of that box.

[Old Collingwood]

10 minutes ago, Canute said:

Either way we'll be here. Good reuse of that box.

Thanks  Ken.

 

OC.

[Kevin]

i see a remarkable difference in the quality of your painting from the start of this thread, they look great

[Old Collingwood]

1 minute ago, Kevin said:

i see a remarkable difference in the quality of your painting from the start of this thread, they look great

Thank you so much Kevin  - I think its that case of  creating a  feel for whats being painted,  that old saying of "Practice make perfect"

 

OC.

[mtaylor]

Whatever is next, we'll be following along, OC.

[Old Collingwood]

8 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Whatever is next, we'll be following along, OC.

Thanks Mark,    will be deffo  more figure making/painting   before I get  round  to  starting the  dio  base/buildings  later.

 

OC.

[Louie da fly]

I love your storage box for the figures. Keeps them safe from harm. I keep mine in a clear plastic box but the principle's the same (and mine are quite a bit smaller).

 

Here in Oz you could never get anything like those numbers for 17th century re-enactment - or any other period for that matter. 

 

I understand why they do it (to minimise the injuries to cuts and bruises), but it's always bugged me - in the real world those pikes would be held horizontally, not vertically. See this video of the Battle of Hastings re-enactment in 2006 - the spear work starts at 7.25.

 

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

15 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

I love your storage box for the figures. Keeps them safe from harm. I keep mine in a clear plastic box but the principle's the same (and mine are quite a bit smaller).

 

Here in Oz you could never get anything like those numbers for 17th century re-enactment - or any other period for that matter. 

 

I understand why they do it (to minimise the injuries to cuts and bruises), but it's always bugged me - in the real world those pikes would be held horizontally, not vertically. See this video of the Battle of Hastings re-enactment in 2006 - the spear work starts at 7.25.

 

 

 

Thank you for the link,   I was really into the whole reinactment society  - still have a few internet friends who take part  for either the English Cival Society  (ECW)  or the Sealed Knot,   I have alwys loved the Royalist side  ( I dont know  something about the look of a Cavalier)  I toyed with becoming a member as a Royalist Dragoon, but  I have never been on a horse.

I still love the whole thing but from my armchair.

 

OC.

[Roger Pellett]

I have often wondered about the logistics of being a reinactor who chooses to be a cavalryman or dragoon.   In addition to owning a horse, you would need to have a way to get it to the reinactment site, a place to board it, vet bills,  etc.  Here in the US, horses are referred to as “hay burners” because of their large appetites.

 

How about reinactors who belong to horse artillery units.  Who owns the horses?

 

This would have to be a way of life, not a hobby.

 

Roger