M1752 Musket
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
M1752 musket | |
---|---|
Type | Musket |
Place of origin | Kingdom of Spain |
Service history | |
In service | Spanish army 1752–1850s |
Used by | Spanish Empire, various indigenous peoples of the Americas, United States of America, Haiti, Mexico |
Wars | Indian Wars, Seven Years' War, Anglo-Spanish War, Invasion of Portugal, American Revolutionary war, Spanish-Portuguese War, Haitian Revolution, French Revolutionary Wars, War of the Pyrenees, Anglo-Spanish War, War of the Oranges, Saint-Domingue expedition, Napoleonic Wars, Peninsular War, Bolivian War of Independence, Venezuelan War of Independence, Argentine War of Independence, Mexican War of Independence, Chilean War of Independence, Spanish reconquest of New Granada, Ecuadorian War of Independence, Spanish reconquest attempts in Mexico, French invasion of Spain, Portuguese Civil War, First Carlist War, Mexican–American War, Second Carlist War, Cochinchina Campaign, Hispano-Moroccan War, Dominican Restoration War, Chincha Islands War, Ten Years' War |
Production history | |
Designed | 1752 |
Manufacturer | State Arsenals—Spain |
Produced | 1752–19th century |
Variants | Model 1752, Model 1755, Model 1757 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 10.80 lb (4.90 kg) |
Length | 57.09 in (1,450 mm) |
Barrel length | 43.31 in (1,100 mm) |
Cartridge | Paper cartridge, musket ball undersized to reduce the effects of powder fouling |
Calibre | .69 (17.526 mm)[1] |
Action | Flintlock/percussion lock (conversion) |
Rate of fire | User dependent; usually 2 to 3 rounds every one minute |
Effective firing range | Around 47 yards |
Feed system | Muzzle-loaded |
Sights | A front sight cast into the upper barrel band |
The Spanish M1752 Musket was a muzzle-loading firearm invented in 1752 and used by the Spanish Army from then until it was widely replaced by the much more effective Minié rifles during the mid-19th century. The M1752 was the first standardized long gun utilized by the Spanish Army and was deployed in the Spanish American Colonies, where it saw action during the British invasion of Cuba. Spain also provided around 10,000 up to 12,000 muskets to the American rebels during their struggle against the British.[2][3]
Proving typically conventional for the period, the weapon maintained a long service life under the Spanish crown and was deployed to its various frontline forces across the various Spanish holdings. The Model 1752 was in widespread circulation up until the middle of the 1850s by which time more and more fighting forces were adopting more modern Minié ball-long guns (categorized as "rifled muskets").
The M1752 saw some later modifications in 1755 and 1757.
The Model 1752 Musket featured design qualities associated with this period of land-based warfare (in general line infantry)—these were long, heavy guns made primarily with a single-piece wooden stock housing the steel barrel and works of the gun lock. As muzzle-loading weapons, they were loaded down the muzzle end of the gun which necessitated use of a ramrod held in a channel in the stock under the barrel. The stock was affixed to the barrel at multiple points, usually two brass barrel bands and a nose cap at front and which had a ramrod pipe cast to it. The firing mechanism was of the flintlock method requiring a piece of flint to be seated in a vice and cocked rearwards prior to firing. Additional steps included the loading of black powder in the frizzen (pan) as well as gunpowder down the barrel prior to inserting the rest of the ball ammunition consisting of both projectile(s) and cartridge case and which also doubled as wadding. The wooden stock incorporated a straight grip handle that was slightly angled downwards and extended to become the shoulder support (or shoulder stock) which had a butt plate. The Sighting was through fixtures along the top of the weapon. The trigger was set within an oblong ring (trigger guard) under the action as normal. The lock was unique, known as the "Miquelet lock", which reworked some of the accepted design practices of the flintlock—mainly at the mainspring and hammer (or cock).[4] Many were converted from flintlock to percussion cap in the mid-19th century.
Variants
Model 1752
Original series model; pattern of 1752.
Model 1755
Modified pattern of 1752 .
Model 1757
Modified pattern of 1752.
See also
- Military history of Spain
- List of wars involving Spain
- Charleville musket
- Brown Bess
- Potzdam Musket 1723
External links
- http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=924
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120905115103/http://asoac.org/bulletins/91_benninghoff_spanish.pdf
References
- ^ http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/spanish_arms/%28622%29.htm
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2013-01-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Troiani, D.; Kochan, J. (2007). Don Troiani's Soldiers of the American Revolution. Stackpole Books. p. 138. ISBN 9780811733236. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
- ^ https://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=924
- Muskets
- Weapons of Spain
- 18th-century weapons