The Charleville musket was the primary musket used exclusively by the Canadian Militia from the early 1700s right up to the early 1800s because of its solidity and lightness. The calibre was somewhat small for warfare, but this was offset by the shooting accuracy of the Canadians. It was also used by French during their participation in the American Revolutionary War. These smoothbore muskets were named after the armory in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, France. It was also distributed to the Americans, and later became the basis for the pattern of the Springfield Musket of 1795. They are 60 1/2 inches, with a 45-inch (1.1 m) barrel, and have "U.S." stamped on the buttstock. This was done to prevent soldiers from taking them when soldiers discharged. It fired a .69-caliber ball, smaller than the Brown Bess, and which normally allowed for less windage than contemporary muskets. It had a fire ratio of approximately 2-3 shots per minute, and a maximum range for 200 meters, although only fairly accurate for up to 50 meters. Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ... Smoothbore refers to a firearm which does not have a rifled barrel. ... Charleville-Mézières is a town and commune in northeastern France, préfecture (capital) of the Ardennes département which is itself part of the Champagne-Ardenne région. ... Ardennes is a département in the northeast of France named after the Ardennes area. ... First United States Musket. ... For other uses, see Barrel (disambiguation). ... A stock or buttstock is present in many firearms and some crossbows to transfer the recoil from firing the weapon into the shooters shoulder. ... Short Land Service musket Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Armys Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. ... Windage is a force created on an object by friction when there is relative movement between air and the object. ...

Charleville muskets were shipped from France to America in three parts: lock, stock and barrel – giving origin to the phrase "lock, stock, and barrel."^{[citation needed]} Flintlock of an 18th Century hunting rifle, with piece of flint missing. ... Folding stock of a SIG 550 rifle A stock or buttstock or shoulder stock is present in many firearms and some crossbows, and performs three functions - to facilitate easy and steady holding and aiming of the weapon prior to and during firing (which may be further assisted by a sling... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
• List of infantry weapons and equipment of the Canadian Military

Individual weapons by type and current level of use. ...

External links

• Loading and Firing a French Musket in the Age of Napoleon

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