We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:28:04 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification And you guys provide the content! All I have to do, in this case, is provide a picture. Not that I'm complaining...! In the comments to the "Speaking of Bullets" post, AW1 Tim provided a discussion about musketry, and the "mythical three rounds per minute" claim for the standard Civil War infantryman firing the standard Civil War rifled musket. He mentions a special bullet - the Williams "cleaner" bullet. Not so-named because the bullet was cleaner - but because of the bullet's function. While doing the pictures for that post... well, I ran across these. I'll let AW1 Tim take... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:04:00 -0600 Or maybe it's from the changes in Drill instituted by Wolfe(sp?)? Read about him some years(like 7) ago in an MHQ mag. His change of Drill was supposed to have made a huge difference, though beyond the staggering of fire to maintain a higher overall volume I can't remember what the other changes were. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html#comment-73696 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html#comment-73696 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:21:11 -0600 Baker rifles!]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html#comment-73689 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html#comment-73689 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:05:24 -0600 I believe three rounds a minute comes from the famed infantry of Wellington with a Brown Bess musket. Well trained British infantry supposedly could fire three rounds a minute. This 'skill' was accounted one the fire power advantages of the Brits along with fighting in lines of two rather than three and platoon volleying according to historians of the period. I doubt anyone could fire three rounds a minute with a muzzle loading rifle because of the rifling. Baker rifles were good for two rounds a minute. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html#comment-73688 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/sometimes_its_j.html#comment-73688 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:48:08 -0600