Thank you very much!

Hello! Glad to hear of another P53 shooter.

Glad you enjoyed it. It's a difficult thing to get ones head around, I realize... but it was the way it was done right up until 1881 when the command FIRE was re-introduced. See here for the transition... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iLZ-lph6pt3UZps.html

Matthew Moss Thanks for your kind comment. Glad you saw something that peaked your interest! Cheers.

Tee Campez Thanks for the kind words. And just what would you like to see in said DVD? :)

Exactly what your doing now but just put on a DVD, you explain the British Victorian era in arms, drill and equipment excellent my friend. As well as my passion for wild camping that is my KZfaq channel I have been a collector of Victorian militaria for many years, and there is a market for you my friend here I'm sure. Not many informative DVD's out there on this ? Cheers Terry.

Tee Campez Thank you for the compliment, sir. That is quite the project, for sure. I would have to get a better camera! But, I can think of all the extra detail one could work into such a project... More time to spend on some of the details and better views of the shooting. Thanks Terry, for you suggestions. Can't say that it will be soon, but one day, a more comprehensive series based presentation might be in order. Cheers.

agreed

Thank you. They are rather fun to make,...... but mostly it's the shooting that's the fun.

+ImperialGuard322nd You are welcome. The drills differ in detail but they both end the same, with a percussion lock muzzleloading rifle charged and ready to fire... :-)

ImperialGuard322nd american civil war is so boring

Why is it boring?

@@furimindustries3410 Whilst I don't find the course of the war in any way boring, I'm not a military man. Possible reasons? A famous quote giving the view of the European military at the time is, 'The American Civil War was the wrangling of two armed mobs'. Helmut Karl Bernhard von Moltke. I understand this was the pithy reply given by Moltke the Elder when he wad asked whether or not he had studied this particular war. It was his essay from 1871 that gave us the adage no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Others have described it as a Napoleonic war in the age of the Industrial Revolution.

+Naomi Simmonds Hi Dave. Thank you very much for your kind words. If you are interested in other "soldierly" aspects" of the P53, have you seen the other videos on the subject here on the channel? Namely the Bayonet Exercise and the Manual Exercise as well as a presentation on musketry (albeit with some "hobby-grade" special effects... :-) I take it you are in NZ?

Thank you very much. Not quite up to your standards yet. I have to get a better camera! Cheers.

britishmuzzleloaders The content that does matter. All the other things are second. And to tell you the truth the filming is good as well.

***** Thanks. I'm slowly getting better and more comfortable with things. That said, it's a pain sometimes to have to do everything by yourself. That's why the framing is out from time to time. Cheers.

When are you guys gonna have a duel? I know who my money is on.

Thanks Mark. It does pose rather interesting challenges when trying to frame things nicely!!!

kombik98 Most glad that you found some useful details... Cheers.

Cheers!

@@britishmuzzleloaders God Save The Queen and Forward The Buffs!!! 😁

John BrooksThanks. Glad you saw something of interest! Cheers.

leighrate Cheers. I appreciate your kind words.

tw203809 That is a good idea and I would very much like to see such a video... There just isn't something like that out there. Mind you, that's why I started making these things in the first place... I said to myself, "If you don't see something you like, then do something about it!".... That is how all this started and I suppose that a DVD is not out of the question but it will take a massive amount of time and resources.... I mean, how could I do a chapter on the Baker for something like that without a green jacket and shako? And another on the Brunswick without the same, ..... only later pattern.... I can get away with close-to-the-real-thing with the YT clips but if I were to go for the big project, I couldn't look at myself in it without everything that was supposed to be there.... Don't get me wrong. I am most appreciative of the comments and gracious praise that you and others have given my efforts here. I would undertake a project like the one you are talking about in a heartbeat if I had resources enough to do it as I would want. I just don't have them right now. Trust me, my mind is racing with all kinds of ideas and camera angles right now.... Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement. Cheers.

Thank you!

Glad oy enjoyed it!

pdalko Thank you. I suppose that it needed to be taught by numbers so that the recruits who probably had not one shred of firearms experience, could learn it by rote. This translates into efficiency on the battlefield and the ability to perform the steps under extreme stress. Cheers.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

Sure thing!

A tool of the crown...God Save The Queen! 👑

@@MarkWYoung-ky4uc fuck the inbred family ruling over everyone and providing nothing for it while they get rich and you grovel.

@@SonOfTheDawn515 This was my comment "I carried an Enfield while Civil War reenacting and really loved it. Love your videos!" I said nothing about the Royal family.

RabidMortal1 Thanks for that. I have been exploring the actual way that fire was delivered during the "non-FIRE" era.... there are very few references to it, as you might imagine... One such article (mentioned in this clip) is from the United Services Institute (now RUSI) Journal from 1846 and yields excellent insight into the details and tribulations of this method of volley firing... I have my own conclusions, some of which I have explored here, but I fear that delving deeper into the text and discussing the points is, perhaps, a bit too academic for a KZfaq "historical shooting" channel... (emphasis on the "shooting"). Thoughts?

keergyriah Hi there. Glad you liked it and ,maybe answered a few questions. It is quite interesting following the evolution of the Platoon exercises through the different weapons' eras. Cheers.

The Cosmoline Crate Thanks Dave... Looking forward to seeing your new No 4 in action... and the M1 Carbine too... The latter would be great in a military action style match, I should think. Cheers.

britishmuzzleloaders I just need to find some matches around me! Ps. Super rookie question, but the little powder and bullet paper dealio you use in this video, do you buy those or make them yourself? Again excuse my ignorance to black powder! Edit: Nevermind! found your video on it!

The Cosmoline Crate No problem.. The "dealio" is all home made... As for a match, from the ranges I have seen in your clips, it might be quite easy to set something up "a-la" the Forgotten Weapons 2 gun matches.... Unless, of course, you have a restrictive range... some steel plates or clays, some paper, barricades, and of course a tin hat and '37 pattern webbing...

Hi there. Glad you enjoyed the clip. In regards to volley fire, it certainly was not voluntary... You fired on the word "Present".... bringing up the weapon, aiming and firing... as long as the commands could be heard, the volleys would have remained consistent... have a look here.... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7BgpZebvMe-hKs.html&list=PLkOVIw4NSWVLumIbN13rz45Ezre_B2ZMJ&index=25

This is interesting, however I have read that (in the 18th Century) when individuals started firing in their own time, they started to panic, and loaded and fired too fast and didn't aim properly, and the general control was lost.

Hence the reliance on controlled, measured volley fire.

Yes. It seems though that small leniency to fire in their own time did work though.

Stew Knoles Thank you Stew. Have you read the book "The Rifle-Musket in Civil War Combat" by Earl Hess? Very good read. Right up your alley I would assume, and relevant to the 1860s in general, not just your civil war. I explores the myth and reality of the performance of the weapons of the day. The farthest I have shot my P53 has been 500yds. There is a clip here on the channel about that shoot... Cheers.

Interesting. I'll have to go have a look. Stands to reason that all light troops would use the same type of techniques, especially in extended order. Quite the feat though and the range must have been very close if targets were picked out like that. 50yds kind of close if there was any hope of not hitting their own troops. Thanks for that.

I can't remember the details but, having had a few shots of a brown bess several years ago, I don't think I'd trust myself to make that shot at anything much above 50 yards. If anything, I think it demonstrates the difference in emphasis between light troops, who were concerned with effects of fire, and line troops, who relied much more on the moral effect of a crisp volley followed up with the bayonet.

Garyoppolis Much in agreement on your very relevant points.

On the contrary, the rifle can be loaded with ease after many dozens of rounds.... that is the purpose of the lubricant on the outside of the cartridge.... to keep the fouling soft. Accuracy does degrade to a small degree but not to a level that would see operational use affected. That said, the drill "by numbers" is a training method and not representative of the actual use on the battlefield. A more appropriate demonstration can be had towards the end of this clip and also here... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7BgpZebvMe-hKs.html

Peter Martini the rifle is a Birmingham PH. Fantastic bit of kit. Dead lucky to have come by it, for sure. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. Cheers.

It's a great and historical arm for sure.

Not quite sure what you are getting at. This is a demonstration of the steps used to teach recruits... It's all broken down quite logically... Of course, this "step by step" process was not used in action... see here... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7BgpZebvMe-hKs.html

+John Clark Hello John. The 1859 manual is the first reference that I have prescribing the "tear". The '54 version says "bite". If you don't mind, what reference do you have regarding the modification for sepoys, pre Mutiny? Cheers.

+britishmuzzleloaders Dear Sir, From "The Great Fear of 1857: Rumors, Conspiracies, and the Making of the Indian Uprising" by Kim A. Wagner. Pg 103-104. Brevet-Major Bontein at Dum Dum suggested officially adopting the change from bite to tear. This was readily adopted as it would not constitute a major change. The full text is actually available online courtesy of Google. I had originally read that on wikipedia, but I'm not going to insult you by listing that as a reference. Thank you for the answer as well. I heartily enjoy your videos and they serve as a bit of inspiration for me to get my 1871/84 Mauser up and shooting.

John Clark Thanks very much. I'll check it out. Hope your Mauser gets to work out soon! :-).

+macadavy If you want to research anything about the Enfield family, you need to find a copy of CH Roads' "The British Soldiers' Firearm". The Lancaster was, as you state, the arm of the Sappers and Miners, later the RE... It was not, however issued to Rifle Regiments. They are a rare find nowadays and be prepared to pay for it... They are distinctive in that the back sight is mounted in the reverse of the rest of the family, and , of course, the oval bore. Lancasters were modified, like the rest of the Enfield family, into breechloaders with the addition of the Snider action... LoC 1374 of 1866... The Busk book is a good read for sure.

It's a Parker Hale.

Sure thing.

Xavier Temple The primary difference between the long and short rifle drills is the position you start from... The "shoulder" with the long rifle (as demonstrated in this clip) is with the butt in the left hand.... The "shoulder" with the short rifle is with the rifle at the right side, under the armpit, with the hand gripping the rifle about the trigger guard... (confusingly, the similar motion with the long rifle is known as the "advance"..) Also, troops armed with the short rifle, in two ranks, were prescribed to always fire with the front rank kneeling. Something which wasn't necessary with the long rifle (being able to be comfortably fired with both ranks standing). The meat and potatoes of the loading, etc,... were the same.. Cheers.

I consider myself an explorer of historical shooting. Remember that performing this by numbers is not at all what would have happened on the battlefield. There are a couple of older rate-of-fire videos on the channel on the Enfield Playlist.

There is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that the whole technique was practiced to give as simultaneous a volley as possible... the theory was sound though. In reality, volleys, delivered with this technique or the later “fire”, would, in the field and in action, be ragged regardless...

The design of the Enfield paper cartridge is really quite something. Best muzzleloading cartridge by far... Cheers.

britishmuzzleloaders do you know whether this cartridge has already been used in the Crimean War?

MrTwiggy93 Hi there. As you may know, the weapon that most of the troops had in the Crimea was the P51 Minie Rifle. In .704 calibre, it was a "rifle-musket" like the later P53 Enfield. Although it used a slightly differently shaped bullet to that of the P53 in that it had tapered sides, it did use the exact same principle in the construction of it's cartridge. Being in .704, it was of course, slightly "stubbier" as the powder charge was the same (2 1/2 drams). Later, the P53 and it's cartridge, in .577 calibre was issued (near the end of the war). So, yes, the cartridge was used, in two different forms, during the Crimean War. There were also smoothbore P42 carried in the initial battles and the ammunition for them was the standard round ball cartridge of the "Brown Bess". Cheers.

Thank you very much for this quick and detailed answer.

It's a custom mould from Brooks in Montana.. there are a few videos regarding it in the Ammunition playlist.

britishmuzzleloaders thank you sir. I really enjoy your videos

Not a clue... I'd be googling, like you... New stock, new barrel? hopefully the lock is OK then!

@@britishmuzzleloaders Thanks for getting back to me. Yes the lock is in good working order. The barrel was when I got the rifle. But I fired it after cleaning and the nipple blew out and the pan cracked. (Thankfully only my pride was hurt when this happened.) The stock is missing the lower half f it's butt. But it still could be used.

Yes it does!

HI there. Are you referring to the date on the lock plate?... That "date" refers to the year of manufacture, not the pattern of arm it is... Pedersoli have tried to replicate a 3rd pattern rifle that was made by the "Trade" in England and sold for export to the US for the American Civil War. Therefore, a date of 1861 is appropriate.

@@britishmuzzleloaders Elementary my dear Watson

This is a demonstration of the drill as in the book... The complete evolution. If actually delivering numerous volleys in the field (or on the barracks square in training) the sights would not be returned until the whole evolution was complete.

A demonstration done by the Queens Own Rifles of Canada in England in the 80s.

britishmuzzleloaders do you have a link to the full video?

@@polymathart There are 5? parts.. Part one.kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r7iXZbV2mJ-WhH0.html

Biting was replaced with tearing the 1859 manual.

Sure.

"Cautionary" commands are those parts of commands that indicate the "who, and the what of an order.

It's a scene from the New Zealand Wars .... 1860s

I'm fairly certain it's Te Ngutu o te Manu. Can't remember the exact date, but towards the end of the decade, in Taranaki.

Not for me to do....

The drill changed in 1859 to the use of the fingers.

Yes, both sides used the Enfield during that war.

Correct, but the British Government would not allow the Royal Arsenal at Enfield to sell the P53 directly to the Confederate States. However, they allowed private manufacturing firms to produce and sell the rifle to the Confederacy, eg Birmingham Small Arms Company and/or London Armoury Company. Many Confederate units preferred the blued steel barrel of the Enfield over the Springfield as they were easier to clean and maintain.

Not following?

@@britishmuzzleloaders 15 count manual of arms is a basic rifle drill , for drill and ceremonies. takes you through all positions of carry and at rest to present arms.

@@Rogers_Ranger In what Army? "Manual or Arms" is an American term, so can I assume that this is what you are talking about?

@@britishmuzzleloaders Manual "of" arms yes

lol all good

Hi Alex. No it is a Birmingham made Parker Hale. Excellent finish and most importantly for shooting, progressive depth rifling. As close to the real thing as one can get, without using an original of course. I came by this one in almost unfired condition. Very lucky.

Alexander Spiridonov No, but from what I have read, they have done a good job everywhere else (fit and finish) with a good quality, though as you say, non-progressivly rifled, barrel.

Alexander Spiridonov They are quite difficult to find but do surface from time to time. Where are you (country)?

britishmuzzleloaders I am from Russia. Our laws allow us to own such a weapon without a license, and import it into the country in private

Alexander Spiridonov You might try some UK sites (Gunstar, I think) but I don't know what their export laws are like. Down in the US, the North-South Skirmish Association forum has them pop up from time to time, if you can find someone who will mail it to you. Try googling Parker Hale Enfield Musket and see what comes up... I'm afraid I don't know much about export issues though.. It's a shame that they aren't made anymore. Cheers.

Things change...

I use mix of vegetable shortening and bees wax…

@@britishmuzzleloaders at least it would be Halal. If honey from bee is Okay in Muslim, unlike original one which Animal lard of Enfield resulted in amputation in civil war by deep wound.

Any Enfield will be great fun but you might consider a Naval Rifle or Artillery Carbine for hunting.... Just a little shorter and handier...

britishmuzzleloaders By chance do you guys have a facebook group?

TrueStrongNorthWell it's just me here in britishmuzzloader-land. There is no Facebook group or page for this channel as of now. Hadn't really put much thought into that to be honest. There seems to be decent conversation here about various topics so I hadn't really thought there was a need for one. Maybe I am wrong?

What, musket drill?

@@britishmuzzleloaders No, the Enfield musket 1857.

@@matheenarifkhn3548 Right, it was more complicated than that... but yes, the cartridge had a role to play in it all. Cheers.

@@britishmuzzleloaders cheers mate

Ish.... the drills are from 1859... but generally similar to those used during the Crimean War. it's not a truly accurate representation but more of a general idea just to add a bit of colour to the subject matter.

britishmuzzleloaders thanks for the update .Great documentary i should have been more specific when I posted the comment. Is your uniform a representation of the British Army on campaign on or during the Crimean war. I'm extremely interested in British military history .

and I should have been better at explaining... :-)... the -drills- are generally those for the Crimean War... the kit is somewhat "representative".... as mentioned, it doesn't follow exactly... the type of hat, called a Kilmarnock, was used although without such a big badge, and the greatcoat was used, although of a different pattern with a short attached cape... The expense pouch saw use at the very end of the War and the combination of waist belt and pouch belt (instead of the earlier bayonet belt over the shoulder) was in use throughout. Trousers were similar and the boots... well, they weren't exactly the same but they were black.... I do what is called Historical Shooting vice Re-enacting.... therefore, as much as I try to replicate kit of a given era, the most important aspect of it is that it is close in look but very close or identical in function to what was historical... hope this explanation os better... :-)

Not following.

Well, that was 3 years before the reference used in this video.... but yes, quite similar drills.

André Fonteyne Thank you for your invite.... Made the request.. Cheers.

Don't forget, all those steps are broken down for training purposes... as demonstrated at the end, the reality is a fluid motion with no pauses... 3 aimed rounds a minute once you are practiced.

This is Victorian, mind you,..... 🙂

Haha.

Ed Wilson Thanks Ed. Yes, it certainly is a little known fact. From the 1830's to 1881 there was no executive command "FIRE!".... Spread the word... :-). Cheers.

I shall do.. Our own group's 'New Brunswick' impression of the 22nd Foot is going to benefit a lot from this.. we did some beeswaxed (blank) rounds last year and they worked a treat during a firing display at the regt museum in Chester..

Ed Wilson Ahh the Cheshires... OK, *eventually* the Cheshires....When you refer to your "New Brunswick" impression, what time period is that?

britishmuzzleloaders 1860s when they were moved from Malta to New Brunswick to assist local militias in keeping the post ACW Fenian threat at bay.. the Regt History 'Ever Glorious' has a lot more detail but in essence a garrison assignment with little action seen... If you are able I will try to send some pics of our chap in his rather splendid Albert shako (though he has the Kilmarnock as well of course)

Ed Wilson I have sent you a PM with my email... Cheers.