Dixie 3rd Model Brown Bess
Dixie Gun Works, Inc. · Rifle · In Production
Also known as: 3rd Model Brown Bess, India Pattern Brown Bess, Pedersoli Brown Bess Musket
Overview
The Dixie 3rd Model Brown Bess is a modern reproduction of the British India Pattern musket, the .75 caliber smoothbore flintlock musket that armed the British Army through the Napoleonic Wars. Built by Davide Pedersoli in Italy and sold by Dixie Gun Works, it features a 39-inch smoothbore barrel, a swan-necked cock flintlock, walnut stock and brass furniture, faithfully recreating the muzzle-loading service musket that saw roughly three million examples produced. It is used today by re-enactors, living-history shooters and black-powder collectors.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4400 g (155.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1397 mm (55.00") |
| Barrel Length | 991 mm (39.02") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 305 m/s (1001 fps) |
| Effective Range | 46 m (50 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 274 m (300 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Browned |
Calibers
- .75 Caliber Musket Ball · primary — also known as 0.75 in, 11-bore ball, .735 round ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Swan Neck Cock, Brass Furniture, Socket Bayonet Lug, Ramrod, Case Hardened Lock
Service history
Operators
- Historical re-enactors and target shooters
Production
Modern reproduction; the historical India Pattern it copies saw roughly 3 million produced during the Napoleonic Wars.
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Davide Pedersoli
Notes
The India Pattern was the third and final major Land Pattern variant, roughly three inches shorter and a pound lighter than the earlier Short Land musket, with three ramrod pipes and simplified brass furniture. The Pedersoli reproduction uses a modern seamless tempered gun-steel barrel and an industrially case-hardened lock; some export units ship with the vent hole undrilled for shipping compliance.
Background
The name 'Brown Bess' became a byword for the British soldier's musket for over a century; the India Pattern was originally ordered by the East India Company before being adopted as the standard British service arm during the wars against Napoleon.