note--I'm not sure if this should be here or in smoothbores. Feel free to relocate mods
No, I'm not Jamie or Adam. But my older bro is a curator and has suggested something that might entail me buying a new thunder stick. Needless to say I was all ears :grin: There's an old myth/story about the Battle of Sitka and some of the first encounters between the Tlingit warriors and the late 18th / early 19th cnt Russian traders encroaching on their turf.
The Tlingits wore armor and war helms made from hardwoods and layers of other material. Legend has it that when the Russians fired their muskets the balls did not penetrate or were flattened and rendered less effective by this layered armor. This has been dismissed as nonsense, but the only way to be sure is test it. My bro has the armor front taken care of and can recreate test versions. Obviously we're not going to use any priceless antiques in this!
What I need to do is come up with a creditable recreation of a flintlock musket of the late 18th century period that would have been in use by the Russian trappers of Alaska. I doubt anyone makes a repro, but then again I know little about the pre-Mosin and Berdan days of Imperial Russian arms. The natives were mostly using war clubs and some trade muskets at that time. My best guess is the Russian troops would be outfitted with French-style muskets of Napoleonic vintage. But I haven't been able to confirm that. Anyone know?
I'm also wondering if the powder they were using would have been significantly inferior to modern goex ffg.
My own theory is that the Russians were aiming at the masks instead of the man. The war helms sat up high and were solid hardwood, so shooting them would not hurt the person underneath. The warrior's head and face were actually hidden behind a visor underneath the helm that formed the "neck" of the helmet head. But there's only one way to find out--load up and head to Birchwood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sitka
No, I'm not Jamie or Adam. But my older bro is a curator and has suggested something that might entail me buying a new thunder stick. Needless to say I was all ears :grin: There's an old myth/story about the Battle of Sitka and some of the first encounters between the Tlingit warriors and the late 18th / early 19th cnt Russian traders encroaching on their turf.
The Tlingits wore armor and war helms made from hardwoods and layers of other material. Legend has it that when the Russians fired their muskets the balls did not penetrate or were flattened and rendered less effective by this layered armor. This has been dismissed as nonsense, but the only way to be sure is test it. My bro has the armor front taken care of and can recreate test versions. Obviously we're not going to use any priceless antiques in this!
What I need to do is come up with a creditable recreation of a flintlock musket of the late 18th century period that would have been in use by the Russian trappers of Alaska. I doubt anyone makes a repro, but then again I know little about the pre-Mosin and Berdan days of Imperial Russian arms. The natives were mostly using war clubs and some trade muskets at that time. My best guess is the Russian troops would be outfitted with French-style muskets of Napoleonic vintage. But I haven't been able to confirm that. Anyone know?
I'm also wondering if the powder they were using would have been significantly inferior to modern goex ffg.
My own theory is that the Russians were aiming at the masks instead of the man. The war helms sat up high and were solid hardwood, so shooting them would not hurt the person underneath. The warrior's head and face were actually hidden behind a visor underneath the helm that formed the "neck" of the helmet head. But there's only one way to find out--load up and head to Birchwood.
http://www.thelondonwarroom.com/Knights of Pacific Northwest by Chris Feree Page1.htm"The Kolushans (Tlingits) wore their armor which consisted of wooden rods bound together with leather thongs. Their faces were protected with masks which represented the heads of bears, dogfish, and other animals and gave a frightening appearance. On their heads they wore large wooden hats which fastened to the rest of their armor with thongs. Their WEAPONS consisted of lances, bows and the two pointed daggers. The Russians aimed directly at their heads, but the bullets did not penetrate the thick head covering. The more intense the fire of the Russians became, the more vigorous was the storming of new hordes of attackers."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sitka
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