central-va wrote:
“I believe using cap and minie ball, 4 rounds a minute was a good rate of fire from a Springfield/enfield muzzle loader.”
As a former black-powder rifle owner, I do not disagree!
However, your rifle of choice was just that, rifled, whereas the original rifle, in the original article was a smoothbore.
So, the progression of the soldier’s capacity to ‘bring fire to the enemy’, increased by a total of one round per minute, from 1776 to 1860, correct?
(Really makes those folks that had Spencer and Henry rifles appear to be ‘speed demons’, does it not?)
Actually it is easier to ram the round ball into a smooth bore, as such that part is faster. The musket priming is the time consuming part. I have never fired a musket but that is what I am told.