Guns of the Patriot

[Blackpowder Injun]

Watched the Patriot again for about the 10th time. One of my favorite movies of all time. Does anyone know what guns where featured in the movie(besides the brown bess and pennsylvania rifle)? I know very little about vintage flintlocks and would like to know which guns he used and if they were PC?

 

[Finnwolf]

Not all the answers here but some insight

http://www.enquirer.com/columns/mcgurk/2000/06/25/mm_artists_armed_the.html

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I know the fowling piece used in several scenes by both sons was made by our own Mike Brooks.

 

[brubincam]

-----did Mike loan them or sell them-----would be neat if they were given back to him-----

 

[Elnathan]

There are a couple 1763/66 French muskets out there - the preacher carried one, as do the Continentals and at least one other member of Martin's band (look for the steel bands holding the barrel to the stock). PC for the Continentals, who were issued 1763 Charlesvilles given by the French, but iffy for the militiamen - they were just being replaced by the model 1777 in France and are unlikely to show up as surplus. An earlier model French musket would have been more likely, as would an older Spanish musket - the Spaniards still owned Louisiana at the time.

Martin's rifle: made by Frank House. Since it is iron mounted, it is really not PC, but is otherwise OK, I think.
Gabriel's rifle: Chambers York kit with a sliding wooden box. Very PC, and it is not too farfetched to have a PA built rifle in SC, carried down the Great Wagon Road.
Fowler: Made by Mike Brooks. PC, and representative of probably the most common type of civilian firearm - there shoud have been more of them!
Don't know much about the pistols.

Hope that helps.

 

[tg]

"Don't know much about the pistols."

From many of the shots made with them they seemed to be remarkably accurate at a very long range. A bit John Wayneish for me...

 

[rabjr]

Not to mention the mistreatment of ramrods in this movie! :shake:

 

[jimmytheshank]

What I love about that movie is the apparent fear of the "flash in the pan" by both the American Army and the British Regulars.Almost everytime I looked ththere was someone who turned his head COMPLETELY around when he fired his musket. I lost count of how many times they did that. It was either fear, or they were very confident in their aiming skills and didnt have to look at their target. :rotf: Must be a little known primitive shooting skill. Early use of "The Force" I guess.
Funny how the pre-teen boy's that played Mel Gibson's sons didnt even flinch as they pulled the trigger. :hmm:

 

[Goldhunter]

What I love about that movie is the apparent fear of the "flash in the pan" by both the American Army and the British Regulars.Almost everytime I looked ththere was someone who turned his head COMPLETELY around when he fired his musket. I lost count of how many times they did that. It was either fear, or they were very confident in their aiming skills and didnt have to look at their target. :rotf: Must be a little known primitive shooting skill. Early use of "The Force" I guess.
Funny how the pre-teen boy's that played Mel Gibson's sons didnt even flinch as they pulled the trigger. :hmm:

True. On a serious note, though, there are many cases, even to this day, where soldiers deliberately didn't aim, closed eyes, aimed high, etc. Even though it's war, there are still many that do not want to, or can not, kill another human being. I may be giving Hollywierd more credit than they deserve, but could this have been a portrayal of this phenomenon? :hmm:

On a related note, in Muzzleloader Mag, the was an article that said House used kits supplied by Kennedy Firearms that were reproduction Wilson holster pistols of the late 1760's.

 

[whiskey]

Have you ever had your face burnt by the powder flash of the flintlock next to you? The lined up troops didn't use the flash guards we require on weapons today. Since the volley of many guns took precedent over deadly accuracy, maybe it was a standard thing for soldiers in a line to turn their heads at the moment of firing.

 

[Goldhunter]

Yes, I have. And Maybe that's the reason. Just bringing up another possibility. :wink:

 

[brubincam]

-----I was keeping score at a woods walk--one left handed shooter--I forgot and was on the wrong side when he fired--no damage--but really suprises you when not expecting it-----

 

[Darkhorse]

Someone had posted an excerpt on this forum a few years ago from the British Manual of Arms. If I remember correctly the last part of the firing order was: Point the weapon at the enemy. Turn head. Pull trigger.
Remember at that time the enemy was seldom hid behind a tree or at long range. He was in battle line at 30 or 40 yards. And the weapons were smoothbore muskets with only one, or none,sights.
The turning of the head and closing of the eyes is very obvious in the movie, while the accurate shooting from Martin and the boys is also obvious. It has often made me wonder if it was a deliberate attempt at PC accuracy by the director.
It would be interesting to read that manual of arms again.

 

[Goldhunter]

I have read before that they were pretty adamant about being HC. This is very possible, especially since the Colonial Army was trained by European standards. I'd like to see this manual of arms as well, sounds interesting.

 

[AaronT]

I seem remember the Brit drill manual specifying that soldiers should turn their heads just prior to firing, but I can't find my reprint at the moment. Interestingly enough I stumbled on a US Army manual of arms from 1812 that specifically states that the right eye should remain open and sighted down the barrel.

Archive.org

I found it around page 100. It is a pdf, so I can't cut and paste the relevant passage, sorry.

 

[Goldhunter]

thanks

 

[Elnathan]

That has been discussed before, and I believe that it may have been standard procedure for the Brits to turn their heads in the 1760s, but that had been superceded by 1776.

British soldiers, particularly the light infantry, really did know how to shoot.