Minie vs. Buck and Ball

I found this from a couple of years ago by Cap and Ball, who compares the relative effectiveness of the Minie ball against a single smoothbore ball and the buck and ball cartridge.

No question that the rifle is more accurate but OTOH a brigade firing off a volley of buck & ball puts a lot of lead downrange. Some regiments north and south loved their their old buck and ball smoothbores and hung on to them until the bitter end.

If you have a 12 gauge shotgun and would like to try a modern equivalent, an Italian company makes a round with one .65 cal. ball and six #1 buckshot. The bore of a modern 12 gauge is .73 caliber, or slightly larger than the .69 caliber muskets (which would be 14 gauge) used in the war.

 


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