Inserting the Bullet

Zack

First Sergeant
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Location
Los Angeles, California
When live firing a rifle according to the manual, how is the minie ball properly inserted into the rifle?

Casey's Manual Reads:
Empty the powder into the barrel: disengage the ball from the paper with the right hand and the thumb and first two fingers of the left; insert it into the bore, the pointed end uppermost, and press it down with the right thumb

Which seems to suggest simply pulling the bullet out of the paper cartridge and sticking it in. This is seen here (approximately 30 seconds):

However, I was watching a YouTube video where the narrator suggests that the soldier should "break the cartridge" against the muzzle to free the bullet (approximately 45 seconds)

So which one is correct? If it is the former, does anyone know where the concept of "breaking the cartridge" comes from? It seems to be a part of the British style.....
 
I was under the impresssion, perhaps incorrectly that the British did not remove the ball from the paper cartridge tube as the tube was dipped in tallow which served as a lubricant for the round. The powder was poured in and then the cartridge (paper and all) was rammed down the bore.

If I recall the Sepoy Mutiny in India was about loading, specifically putting the tallow dipped cartridge into the mouth to tear it open...
 
The British Enfield system was actually a paper patched bullet which is different from the US method and yes, the US discarded the paper.
 
A distinction has to be made between smoothbore & rifle drill. The round smoothbore bullet needed the paper of the cartridge to seal blow by & keep the ball from bouncing down the bore. The genius of the minnie ball was that the explosion of the charge pushed out the concave depression in the base of the bullet, thus seating the round into the lands & grooves of the bore.

There is no more comprehensive source for historic weapons, drill & safety procedures than the National Park Living History & Historic Weapons program policies & manuals. It is a public document available online. Ranger Jim Lewis of Stones River National Battlefield did exhaustive research & applied decades of practical experience to the historic weapons drills.

The NPS manual of arms is based on the original drill. However, some minor changes have been made in name of safety. If you have any questions, Ranger Lewis can be reached via email at Stones River NB.

The link to the NPS manual: https.//www.nps.gov/stri/manuals.htm

In the photo on the cover page of the manual, the back of my head is camera center in the foreground & my wife is number two in the center of the image. The family that shoots cannons together stays together.
 
I have fired both though my enfield 3 bander hundreds of times .
I have found that the ball and patch requires a starter to push the ball and patch several inches down the barrel before ramming. also with the ball and patch the barrel becomes partially filled with residue so that if is very hard to seat the round all the way down the barrel. On one occasion i had to hammer with a piece of a log to get the round all the way down. i usually bring along a wire barrel brush to clean after several shots with ball and patch.
With the minnie the rounds slide down the barrel almost effortlessly. I can only remember one round that i had trouble with and that was due to the minnie being off round.
I can only imagine what it was like to fire ball and patch into an advancing foe when your musket would no longer accept another round and had to be cleaned between rounds .
 
I was under the impresssion, perhaps incorrectly that the British did not remove the ball from the paper cartridge tube as the tube was dipped in tallow which served as a lubricant for the round. The powder was poured in and then the cartridge (paper and all) was rammed down the bore.

If I recall the Sepoy Mutiny in India was about loading, specifically putting the tallow dipped cartridge into the mouth to tear it open...

Also, the Enfield ammunition had the bullet pointing down toward the powder. This was so that after the powder was poured out the soldier just turned the cartridge over and could insert the bullet without the need to remove the paper or grab the bullet. So, yes, it was intended for the bullet to remain in the paper. I believe the paper was also impregnated with something that made it more flammable so it would all burn and not leave residue in the barrel (but don't quote me on that).
 
When live firing a rifle according to the manual, how is the minie ball properly inserted into the rifle?
In the US system the bullet held the lubricant in groves. And the paper was not loaded.
In the british system the paper held the lubricant and the bullet was loaded with the paper around it. And the paper had cuts to make sure it separated correctly from the bullet.

I suggest reading this article about the development of the cartridge for the enfield.


In Clip number two the guy in US gear make a number of mistakes when comparing to what the US drill books actually tell you to do. And one of them is actually dangerous. A bit surprising, since the article I linked to is found on the website of the same people as in that exact youtube clip.


I have fired both though my enfield 3 bander hundreds of times .
I have found that the ball and patch
Your experience with ball and patch in an enfield is pretty irrelevant.
That that was not how it was designed to be used and not how it was used. By the Americans or the Brits.
 
A distinction has to be made between smoothbore & rifle drill.
You are right about that.

This is from the Manual of arms for muskets in the 1861 US infantry tactics.
4. Charge CARTRIDGE.
One time and one motion.
"444. Turn the back of the right hand
towards the body, in order to discharge the
powder into the barrel, raise the elbow as high as
the wrist, shake the cartridge and insert it fully into
the muzzle
; leave the hand reversed, the fingers
closed, but the hand extended."


Compared to the manual of arms for rifles... also from the 1861 US infantry tactics.
4. Charge CARTRIDGE.
One time and one motion.
"159. Empty the powder into the barrel: disengage the ball
from the paper
with the right hand and the thumb and first two
fingers of the left ; insert it into the bore, the pointed end
uppermost, and press it down with the right thumb (...)"


The link to the NPS manual: https.//www.nps.gov/stri/manuals.htm
It is a well made modern manual. But it is about how to load and fire blanks at a public demonstration so is not really relevant to how they did live firing back then.
For one thing it don't include the difference in loading a smoothbore and a rifle.
 
When live firing a rifle according to the manual, how is the minie ball properly inserted into the rifle?

Casey's Manual Reads:
Empty the powder into the barrel: disengage the ball from the paper with the right hand and the thumb and first two fingers of the left; insert it into the bore, the pointed end uppermost, and press it down with the right thumb

Which seems to suggest simply pulling the bullet out of the paper cartridge and sticking it in. This is seen here (approximately 30 seconds):

However, I was watching a YouTube video where the narrator suggests that the soldier should "break the cartridge" against the muzzle to free the bullet (approximately 45 seconds)

So which one is correct? If it is the former, does anyone know where the concept of "breaking the cartridge" comes from? It seems to be a part of the British style.....
You were supposed to unwrap the minie ball from the paper as Casey's suggested. I've never heard of breaking the paper on the muzzle.
 
Since I am a red leg, I looked up the Enfield drill. Oddly enough, <civilwartalkbookshop.com> has Rifle & Drill: the Enfield Rifle Musket, 1853 & the Drill of the British Soldier of the Mid-Victorian Period by S. Bertram Browne available for $15.00. My guess is that any & all questions on the subject are covered.

I had noticed that Enfield
sb21-2.jpg
bullets do not have the dimple in the base of the minnie ball. I assume that means that the traditional lubricated patch in the form of the waxed cartridge paper served the purpose of sealing & lubricating the bullet. I have never live fired an Enfield, but have banged away with a variety of others. My experience from firing lubricated patched balls with black powder rifles would argue that it was dang hard to ram after a few rounds. It stands to reason that without the lubricating paper patch, not only would a naked Enfield lead bullet not set in the lands & grooves allowing blow by, but the bullet rattling down the bore would gunk it up something awful. If anybody knows differently, please educate me.
 
You are right about that.

This is from the Manual of arms for muskets in the 1861 US infantry tactics.
4. Charge CARTRIDGE.
One time and one motion.
"444. Turn the back of the right hand
towards the body, in order to discharge the
powder into the barrel, raise the elbow as high as
the wrist, shake the cartridge and insert it fully into
the muzzle
; leave the hand reversed, the fingers
closed, but the hand extended."


Compared to the manual of arms for rifles... also from the 1861 US infantry tactics.
4. Charge CARTRIDGE.
One time and one motion.
"159. Empty the powder into the barrel: disengage the ball
from the paper
with the right hand and the thumb and first two
fingers of the left ; insert it into the bore, the pointed end
uppermost, and press it down with the right thumb (...)"



It is a well made modern manual. But it is about how to load and fire blanks at a public demonstration so is not really relevant to how they did live firing back then.
For one thing it don't include the difference in loading a smoothbore and a rifle.
Interestingly enough, at the annual NPS training at an army base, they get to live fire everything. The black powder supervisors at the parks have experienced live fire & can explain the drill to visitors. On one occasion they even had a Gatling gun. In the 1970's we fired an original Napoleon live at Stones River, including shells that exploded in mid air. Eventually, sanity & adult supervision reared its ugly head, alas no more. It educated my opinion on the effectiveness of cannon fire.
 
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Federal ammunition was Minie style Burton bullets which have lubricant in the grooves of the bullet. Thus the bullet is removed from the paper and enters the barrel naked.

Confederate ammunition was (ideally) British type Pritchett bullets. These have no grooves, have a wooden or clay plug in the rear end and have the lubricant on the outside of the paper. The cartridge is reversed once the powder has been poured down the barrel and the bullet end, inside the paper, is put into the barrel. The paper cartridge tube is snapped off above the bullet which is then rammed down in the paper.

Either is correct depending upon which side is being portrayed.
 
[/QUOTE]
In Clip number two the guy in US gear make a number of mistakes when comparing to what the US drill books actually tell you to do. And one of them is actually dangerous. A bit surprising, since the article I linked to is found on the website of the same people as in that exact youtube clip.
[/QUOTE]


Can you elaborate as to the errors he makes? I’m curious!
 
In Clip number two the guy in US gear make a number of mistakes when comparing to what the US drill books actually tell you to do. And one of them is actually dangerous. A bit surprising, since the article I linked to is found on the website of the same people as in that exact youtube clip.

Wow that really didn't work for the quote. What errors does he make? I'm curious.
 
Wow that really didn't work for the quote. What errors does he make? I'm curious.
He do not use the ramrod correctly.
The way he grip it is not correct. He is rotating it the wrong way.(should be going by his left shoulder, not the to the right)
If he did this in a formation, where everyone else did it correctly, his ramrod would likely hit other ramrods.

In the later part he don't place the musket correctly between his feet.

And the worst one. When loading the two first times after priming, he lowers the hammer down onto the cap instead of staying in half cock. (that is the safety). Then he go to shoulder arms with a gun that is not safe.
If the hammer got a hard hit by accident, this could result in the gun going of.

And both of them, when trying to hurry, go to full cock when priming. (should be half cock, prime and then only full cock before going to "aim" or "present" at the british called it)
It is less of a safety issue here since they are pointing the muzzzle downrange and don't shoulder arms. But this not correct, and not something that make much difference in rate of fire.
And I would not like to be standing in the front rank, with them behind me.
 
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