One of the earliest forms of flintlock musket used by the English Army was the "dog lock". Very similar to the snaphaunce it was the first to introduce the half-cocked position of the hammer. This made the gun much safer to handle and load. It was in use during the English Civil War and many found their way to the British North American colonies. Another name for the dog lock was the English lock, and the gun was a Swedish styled musket. Some of these have been found at Jamestown and Yorktown, Virginia by archaeologists.
Between 1710 and 1720 the first King's pattern musket called “Long Land Service” came into use. It had a barrel, iron furniture and the French lock (or "true" flintlock) style of flintlock. Later the metal parts (furniture) were changed to brass and the wood ramrod which broke easily was replaced by an iron ramrod.
About 1722, the British Long Land Pattern musket was developed. It created a pattern for arms makers to the British Army to follow, creating a standard weapon. The Long Land Pattern musket weighed just over and was long. It had a barrel and held a long bayonet that was used as a crude gunsight. About 1756 the second version called the Short Land Pattern musket was introduced. The barrel was shortened to although the longer Long Land Pattern continued to be made until 1790.
In about 1768, a new pattern Short Land Service Musket with a barrel was produced. This was the result of the 1768 Clothing Warrant that was intended to lessen the weight of uniforms and equipment carried by British soldiers. In addition to shortening the musket, to reduce its weight, soldiers could no longer carry swords (except in the Highland and Grenadier units). Uniforms were trimmed to be less bulky. This is the gun most used by British forces during the American Revolutionary War. Among the variety of weapons used by the Continental Army, versions of the Brown Bess were also used.
The British manual listed 11 drill maneuvers soldiers had to follow to load and fire their muskets. This was the same drill as the one in the drill manual by Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben for the Continental Army. Unless otherwise mentioned steps are performed in one motion:
At this point, observing the troops are all ready to fire, the command is given to "fire". The drill is then repeated as necessary.
Emmental (administrative district)
The administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern has 42 municipalities in an area of 691 km².
Schlosswil
Schlosswil is a former municipality of the administrative district of Bern-Mittelland in the canton of Berne in Switzerland. On 1 January 2018 the former municipality of Schlosswil merged into the municipality of Grosshöchstetten.
Battle of Pirano
The Battle of Pirano was a naval battle of the Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. It was between France and the United Kingdom. The battle was fought around Piran and Grado.
Emirates Flight 521
Emirates Flight 521 was an Emirates airline crashed upon landing in Dubai International Airport.
Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani
The Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani () is a province in the Apulia region of Southern Italy. The capital is shared by three cities: Barletta, Andria and Trani. The province borders the Adriatic Sea.
It was created from 10 municipalities ("comuni"), which were formerly in the provinces of Bari (7 municipalities) and Foggia (3 municipalities), taking its name from the three cities which share the new administrative functions of the province.
The province of Barletta-Andria-Trani is in the central part of Apulia and has an area of .
The province borders to the northwest by the province of Foggia, to the north and northeast by the Adriatic Sea, to the east with the Metropolitan City of Bari, to the south by province of Potenza (Basilicata region).
The main river of the province, and of the Apulia region, is the Ofanto river, that flows into the Adriatic Sea between Margherita di Savoia and Barletta.
The highest point in the province is "Monte Caccia", high; it is in the "Altopiano delle Murge", a karstic plateau of rectangular shape in southern Italy.
, there are 393,534 persons (194402 males and 199,132 females) living in the province, for a population density of inhabitants/km².
The province has 10 "comuni".
Schüpfen
Schüpfen is a municipality in the administrative district of Seeland in the canton of Berne in Switzerland.
Dissociative
Dissociatives are a type of hallucinogenic drug. Dissociatives can make the user feel separated or "dissociated" from their body and environment. They are often used as anesthetic, to make people unconscious during operations or for other medical uses.
Dissociatives change users perceptions and can cause hallucinations, trance and euphoria. They are usually only used on animals or children, who won't notice these effects. However, for this reason they are also used recreationally or for fun. In many countries however, they are illegal to use for this purpose. Some dissociatives, like that produced from "Salvia divinorum", enter the bloodstream and attach to opioid receptors in the brain. Others attach to dopamine receptors. Most block the chemical glutamate from its normal action in the brain. Glutamate is important in how the brain processes memory and pain. The most commonly available dissociatives around the world are ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP) and dextromethorphan or DXM.
Schwadernau
Schwadernau is a municipality in Biel/Bienne in the canton of Berne in Switzerland.
Springfield Model 1795 Musket
The US Springfield Model 1795 Musket was the first smoothbore flintlock musket produced in the United States. It was based on the French Model 1763 Charleville musket and like the French design was a .69 caliber musket. The Charleville and the Brown Bess were the two most famous muskets during the 18th century. The Charleville musket had been the primary musket used by Americans during the American Revolutionary War. The Charleville being the more accurate of the two, it was selected as the model for a new American musket.
About the middle of the 18th century, French gunsmith Honoré Blanc developed the concept of interchangeable parts for muskets. Blanc tried to interest other European gunsmiths, but they were not impressed by the idea. But he did interest the American Ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson quickly saw that mass production of weapons parts would free America from dependence on European sources for parts. He could not get Blanc to move to the United States but he did convince President George Washington it was a good idea. In 1798, Eli Whitney got the first contract for 10,000 muskets to be delivered within two years. Whitney used a large force of unskilled workers and machinery to produce standardized identical parts at a low cost. Congress had already decided to pattern the new musket after the 1763 French Charleville model. Whitney, like other contractors, had been given 2 or 3 to work with.
The Model 1795 muskets were the first muskets produced at the Springfield Armory and also the Harpers Ferry Armory. The Harpers Ferry Armory did not begin producing the muskets until 1798 at the earliest and more probably started around 1800. There were some distinct differences in the muskets produced at the two armories. The models from the Springfield Armory have dates of manufacture on the lockplate and have an eagle stamp with the word "Springfield". Between 1795 and 1816, the Springfield Armory produced about 85,000 muskets. Between the two armories, some 700,000 muskets were produced between 1795 and 1844. This makes it the longest production run in American history. The Springfield musket was used in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and even the American Civil War. They were also carried on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.