Though a Frenchman, Marin le Bourgeoys, invented the flintlock in 1610, the technology did not come into widespread military use until the War of the Spanish Succession (1704-13). The first iteration of the Charleville, Pattern 1717,was a one shot, smoothbore, . 69 caliber piece.

Desirable Revolutionary War Era French Charleville Model 1763/66 Flintlock Musket with Bayonet. Price Realized: Estimated Price: $5,000 – $8,000.

Like its British counterpart the Brown Bess, the Charleville would become one of the longest serving firearms in history, serving for 123 years from 1717 until 1840, although from 1777 the Charleville would be only in partial service, having been replaced by the Modèle 1777 Musket.

Several arsenals in France produced muskets but the Charleville Model 1763 was the most common and soon all French muskets were referred to as “Charlevilles.” In March 1777, some 25,000 Charleville muskets were received from France.

Muskets played a dual role on the battlefield, being used as a ranged weapon at a distance, and also being used as a pike-type weapon in close hand-to-hand combat. This use as a pike dictated the Charleville’s general length and weight.

Flintlock weapons were commonly used until the mid 19th century, when they were replaced by percussion lock systems. Even though they have long been considered obsolete, flintlock weapons continue to be produced today by manufacturers such as Pedersoli, Euroarms, and Armi Sport.

The name blunderbuss is probably derived from the German donnerbusche which means thunder gun. It ranged in size from 14 to about 30 inches Some blunderbuss’ were actually large bore pistols but most had at least a small shoulder stock. (Muskets of the time tended to be much longer, ranging around 60 inches long.)

Muskets dish out great damage, are hit-scan, and can even be used to apply a solid amount of crowd control (referred to as CC). They’re very useful in both PVP and for taking on large groups of enemies in the various PvE areas of New World, whether that be grinding quests or completing expeditions.

A musketeer (French: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifleman.

Charleville M1777 Revolutionnaire musket
As for the infantry soldier himself, Napoleon primarily equipped his army with the Charleville M1777 Revolutionnaire musket, a product from older designs and models. Used during the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, the Charleville musket was a . 69 caliber, (sometimes . 70 or .

1 : a lock for a gun or pistol having a flint in the hammer for striking a spark to ignite the charge. 2 : a firearm fitted with a flintlock.

A total of 48,000 Model 1717 muskets were produced. The Model 1728 replaced the pinned barrel with a barrel held in place by three barrel bands, which would become standard on all subsequent Charleville muskets.

The Model 1728 replaced the pinned barrel with a barrel held in place by three barrel bands, which would become standard on all subsequent Charleville muskets. The barrel band design was not only easier to disassemble for cleaning, but was also sturdier, which was an important consideration in bayonet combat.

After the Seven Years’ War (in North America often known as the French and Indian war ), the French infantry musket was redesigned, resulting in the Model 1763. The barrel was shortened from 46 inches (1,168 mm) to 44 inches (1,117 mm) and the octagonal breech plug featured on earlier models was replaced with a more rounded design.

Marin le Bourgeoys created the first true flintlock weapons for King Louis XIII shortly after his accession to the throne in 1610. Throughout the 17th century, flintlock muskets were produced in a wide variety of models. In 1717, a flintlock musket for the French infantry was standardized.