Talk:Brown Bess

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From the article: "Stress-bearing parts of the Brown Bess, such as the barrel, lockwork, and sling-swivels, were customarily made of iron; while other furniture pieces such as the butt plate, trigger guard and ramrod pipe were found in both iron and brass. It weighed around 10 pounds (5 kg). It could be fitted with a 17-inch (430 mm) triangular cross-section bayonet. There were no sights on the weapon although the bayonet lug on the barrel may have been used in that manner, similar to the bead on a shotgun."

Several of the above assertions are incorrect, according to military manuals and practices of the day. The guns were most certainly aimed when fired, using a forward sight.

To wit: the well-known military text "A Plan of Discipline for the Use of the Norfolk Militia" by William Windham, 1759, 1768 edition, includes a plate illustrating a firelock and labeling the various parts.

Several of the parts have names that are not those commonly used by collectors and modern historians; here below are listed, on the left, the names from the primary source, followed by, on the right, the incorrect modern names:

Sight - bayonet lug;

Butt of the Rammer - flat button end of the rammer;

Front loop, second loop, third loop - rammer pipes, from muzzle back;

Tail pipe - the rearmost rammer pipe;

Hammer - frizzen;

Cock - hammer;

Swell of the Stock - swell;

Small of the Stock - wrist;

Swell of the Butt - comb;

There are some parts for which we commonly use the same name that is given in Windham's book:

Barrel; Stock; Muzzle; Feather Spring; Trigger Guard; Butt

Additionally, according to De Witt Bailey in "Pattern Dates for British Ordnance Small Arms 1718-1783", pg. 5, the bayonet "stud" was always referred to by the Ordnance as the "sight".95thfoot 04:59, 5 June 2007 (UTC)