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What did the rifle replace?
It replaced the smoothbore musket.
Why is the rifle better than a musket?
The rifles had superior range and accuracy compared to the smoothbore musket.
What is the reason of using a musket?
Muskets tended to be use well after rifled barrels became more or less a standard for a couple reasons. The smoothbore muskets were quicker to reload and fire than their rifled counterparts, and the muskets were advantageous in close situations for their ability to fire special loads, such as the infamous "buck and ball" used during the Civil War, which was essentially a smoothbore musket ball with buckshot glued to it, which would pattern out in a similar manner to a shotgun when fired.
What is a musket?
A smoothbore shoulder fired weapon in use from the late 16th through the 18th century.
Why was the rifle innovative?
The rifle greatly increased the usable range of a firearm over that of the smoothbore musket. This made changes in both the military use of firearms, and in the use of firearms for hunting. Where a smoothbore musket has an accurate range of about 50 yards, the rifle, in the hands of an experienced marksman, had a usable range of about 400 yards.
What does a musket fire?
A musket fires small metal balls (back then made of lead) called musket balls (simple enough:)
What is a musket loop?
A musket loop is a small window through which a musket can be fired without providing a large opening for the attackers to return fire.
Do muzzle loading rifles have smooth bores?
The term "rifle" means that the inside of the barrel (also called the bore) has spiral lines engraved in it. These spiral grooves are known as rifling- they cause the bullet to spin when fired, causing it to travel straight. If a firearm has no rifling, then it is a smoothbore- and may be called a musket or a shotgun. So- some muzzle loading firearms- such as the Brown Bess Musket from the 1700s- ARE smoothbore- but they are not rifles. A muzzle loader like the .50 Hawken I hunt with IS rifled, and not a smoothbore. There is a neat little article on this at the link below:
What is smoothbores?
For guns, a "smoothbore" is a gun that was smooth on the inside of the barrel(or bore). These were also called "muskets" or "smoothbore musket". Later, gunsmiths began to cut a spiral groove in the bore which was called "rifling" that gave a spin to the bullet, resulting in a straighter trajectory and longer range. These were called "rifles".
Could the musket fire with bayonet attached?
Yes
How long does it take to reload a musket?
An experienced firer could typically get off three rounds in a minute's time for the smoothbore muskets (such as the Brown Bess), but only one round a minute in rifles (such as the Kentucky Rifle).
How far can a civil war musket shoot?
The 69 smoothbore had a maximum effective range of about 100 yards (more or less). The rifled 58 Springfield musket had an effective range of 300 yards against men or 600 yards against larger targets like a man on a horse.
