Perth Muzzle loading Club

29/08/2026

The very best example of modern industrial manufacture of the generally issued rifle, was the 1853 Enfield rifle musket and its stablemates.
Brett Gibbons is the author of some of the best books and videos about the Enfield rifles and the ammunition which created the modern way of small arms in warfare, which replaced Napoleonic infantry tactics.
In this video he explains why modern reproduction rifle muskets usually don't work with the original type ammunition which gives outstanding accuracy at long range. Their rifling is way different.

We must do what we can to get them shooting... fairly well!

The ugly truth is that Italian reproduction rifle-muskets don’t hav...

24/08/2026

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS PART 1
Next weekend 29 and 30 August 2026.
Musket firelock and open, shotgun, and Classes 1, 2 and 3 Pistol.
Make smoke, support your mates and show what our sport is made of!

03/04/2025

Wow! I jost got the first of these books, and ordered the second on Amazon.

Last August, Peter Smithurst's 'The Evolution of Gun Making: Machine made weapons, 1700–1820' was published. A follow-up volume was has been published this month; 'Making the Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket: The Evolution of Gun Making, 1820–1860.' The two volumes provide a comprehensive and well illustrated study on the subject, giving a unique insight into military gunmaking of the 18th and 19th century. Much has been written on the history of fi****ms of this period, but details of the actual production of arms has not received this depth of study. These remarkable works don't make 'light reading' but will become the definitive studies of the techniques involved and a key resource for anyone interested in the evolution of gun making.

https://researchpress.uk/news/the-evolution-of-gun-making/

25/07/2023

Just watched a video titled "The rifle musket did not really influence the Civil War. Brett Gibbons, author of 'The Destroying Angel', 'The English Cartridge' and 'Like Fire and Powder' takes apart the idea that the American Civil War was bloodier than others because of the influence of the innovative rifle musket and Minie ball. The reason it was no more deadly than the ordinary muskets? Training. The rifle musket needs skilled, trained soldiers; trained in marksmanship and trained in range estimation. Apart from a few sharpshooter units ths training was not done; a huge number of soldiers had never fired their rifle muskets before they went into battle.
Step up for Class 1 Military Rifle at PMLC!

Please check out the History Matters playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGwg11hQxtmYbZNyxHln5NMhZWDhHXs3I really appreciate Brandon F for organizi...

09/04/2023

08/04/2023