The first rifle made in Sam Colt’s Paterson NJ factory was the 1837 “ring lever” rifle. These were rather fragile and underpowered and while they were used successfully in the First Seminole War, they needed improvement. Colt set about doing this with his 1839 pattern, which was more robust and m...

The star of today's show is the Swiss M1842 Stutzer or percussion military rifle. This large calibre cap-and-ball rifle is half way between a military rifle and a civilian target rifle and this was the first - not so strictly - standardized rifle of the federal army. Both its features and both th...

In this chapter Capandball takes you to a voyage to Vienna to the middlle of the 19th century. The star of the show is a percussion over-under double rifle made by Karl Pirko with an interesting straight rifled bore.

Capandball is arriving to the final part of the Mississippi video series. As next week I won't be able to post a video (I am participating the Muzzle Loading World Championshiops in Valeggio, Iraly), this one is double in time. So fasten seat belts, open a can of beer. 50 minutes of holy black po...

We take a break now in the series about the M1841 Mississippi rifle to explore the authentic cartridges of the US smooth bore muskets of the 1850-60s. The goal of today's Capandball video is to recreate the original ballistics based on contemporary sources.

Diving deeper into the history of the 1841 Mississippi rifle. This chapter of the series covers two topics: the birth of the rifle and the history of one of the most important private contractors for manufacturing the M1841 rifles, the Whitneyville Armoury.

US martial flintlock musket vs US martial percusssion rifle. The flintlock musket was made in Harper's Ferry in 1833 the Missisippi rifle was made by Eli Whitney Jr. in 1855. Both are in perfect shooting condition, and in this video both are shot with their original cartridges. Enjoy the second p...

This is the first part of a series about an iconic rifle of US firearms history. The M1841 Mississippi rifle was the first percussion muzzleloading rifle of the US army and this was the first muzzle loading arm of the army that was manufactured with full interchangeability. The first chapter cove...

The Confederate manufactured Sharps percussion breech loading carbines were manufactured by S. C. Robinson in Richmond. They were illegal copies of the famous Sharps Model 1859 carbines. They are extremely rare collectors items, that's why we are happy that Pedersoli is offering their faithful re...

An Indian Mutiny themed field firing practice with the P53 Enfeild.

This episode of the Firepower series, features two types of Enfield.

This episode of the Firepower series, features the Enfield and the Snider.

I received multiply requests to talk about the way I develop my load for patch roundball muzzle loaders, so I decided to give this topic a full program in my new Questions and Answers series. These points are simple and easy to follow and will guide you to tight groups with any rifle in any calib...

Please support us at: https://www.patreon.com/capandball Starting the year with blackpowder shooting: "Trapper Challenge" is a shooting game shot with muzzleloaders and black powder cartridge guns. We shoot at metal plates at 20-200 m distance. The rules are simple: if you hit the target with the...

This video will guide you through the most important information you will need to start long range shooting (300-1000 yards) with muzzle loading rifles, while I guide you through the one week World Championship held from 27 Aug - 2 Sept 2023 in Hungary. Take your time, watch the full film as ther...

This is the way I make my paper patch bullets for my .45 calibre long range muzzle loading rifle. I used these bullets during the 2023 MLAIC Muzzle Loading Long Range World Championships, and they won me a bronze medal at 600 yards and a silver medal at 1000 yards in original class. So they defin...

In 1855 Frederic Prince patented an interesting breechloading action which used a forward sliding barrel that allowed it to be loaded from the breech. In this episode Matt takes a look at a beautiful example of Prince's rifle. The British Army tested the rifle in 1855 and performed well and was r...

Matt examines an unmarked screw-breech percussion rifle, believed to be a prototype dating from the 1860s. Building on earlier screw-breech designs like the Ferguson, this rifle is believed to have been designed by Lewis Wells Broadwell, who patented a similar action in the mid-1860s. Be sure to ...

By the mid-19th century many major militaries were beginning the hunt for a reliable and robust breechloading system. France was no exception with a number of systems trialled during the 1850s, following the Prussian adoption of the Dreyse rifle. Today we’re lucky enough to be examining one of Fr...

This year's shoot featured The Indian Mutiny of 1857-59 as it's theme. Historical shooting at it's best with crossing targets, advancing battalions and volleys everywhere!

This year's effort features the P53 Enfield in conditions that truely match the spirit of the match! Now, if I could only master the kick turn.....

Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857-58, Britain was intent on preventing a repeat of its own Indian Sepoy troops rising up and fighting against British forces. One solution to this was to effectively 'nerf' the weapons they were issued. This India Pattern Musket is the product of the distrust ...

While French military planners debated which pattern of rifling they wanted to adopt in the mid-19th century, they released the 1853/67 Tabatière as a smooth bore, percussion cap weapon with the intention of adding in the rifling at a later date.

Few weapons, if any have had a greater impact on history in a shorter space of time than the Minié rifle. Introduced in a limited capacity in British service during the Crimean War (1853-56). The Minié with its revolutionary ammunition had a devastating impact against Russian troops during the co...