Brown Bess Long Land Pattern
British Board of Ordnance · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1722
Also known as: Long Land Pattern Musket, Long Land Service Musket, King's Arm, Pattern 1742 Long Land
Overview
The Brown Bess Long Land Pattern is the original and longest variant of the British Land Pattern Musket, a .75 caliber flintlock smoothbore muzzleloader adopted by the Board of Ordnance in 1722. Built around a 46-inch barrel and a walnut full stock with brass furniture, it stood roughly 62.5 inches overall and weighed about 10.4 pounds. It was the standard British infantry musket from 1722 to 1768 and remained in service through 1793, seeing action across the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American Revolution before the shorter Short Land and India patterns superseded it.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4720 g (166.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1588 mm (62.52") |
| Barrel Length | 1168 mm (45.98") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 305 m/s (1001 fps) |
| Effective Range | 91 m (100 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 160 m (175 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Russet Brown |
Calibers
- .75 Caliber Musket Ball · primary — also known as 0.75 in, 11-bore ball, .693 lead ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Brass Furniture, Wooden Ramrod, Socket Bayonet Lug, Banana Lockplate
Base model
Service history
Operators
- British Army · adopted 1722 · as Long Land Pattern Musket
- Continental Army
Conflicts
- War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
- Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Production
Production years: 1722-1793
Assembled at the Tower of London and Dublin Castle from locks, barrels and brass furniture supplied by contracted gunsmiths; exact totals undocumented.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Discontinued: 1793
Notes
Nominal .75 in bore firing a roughly .69 in service ball, typically wrapped in a paper cartridge with a measured powder charge. No rear sight; the bayonet lug doubled as a front aiming point. Muzzle velocity and range figures for period smoothbores are approximate. Minor pattern revisions appeared in 1742, 1756, and 1763.
Background
The Long Land Pattern was the archetypal 'Brown Bess' that armed the redcoats who built the early British Empire, and the very musket carried by both sides in the opening years of the American Revolution before lighter patterns replaced it.