Loading for the men

[Flintlock]

In about every old TV series or old movie, the men hand back their long guns to be loaded by the women and children. This seems pretty far fetched to me because of the very wide range of bore diameters. Seems impossible that anyone could keep straight loading multiple guns for someone. Anyone else ever give this any thought.

 

[hawkeye2]

My wife has a T shirt that says "I can load more than a washer and dryer" and she likes to point out to me that she's much smarter than me in many situations so no issue. :grin: If they were all using military arms it shouldn't have been a problem. Rifles would have complicated things a little but I doubt one woman would have been loading more than two rifles and she should have been able to keep track. Actually one rifle shooter would have needed 2, possibly more women loading for him if he were keeping up a good rate of fire and of course had that many rifles available. I suspect that Hollywood has a lot to do with that scene.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I don't think it is so fictional. Brits were astonished at the firearms knowledge and usage by the colonists. Several Brits noted that even the women were accomplished with firearms. Letting the better marksman aim and shoot while the woman stayed behind the man/ wall etc, protected the woman, but utilized her firearms knowledge to load. When the Brits marched upon Lexington and Concord, it was written that the women of the towns stayed up that night wrapping cartridges for the men.

 

[Flintlock]

Finding two rifles in the fort that were close to the same bore, I think would be difficult, it's possible but would think it would be likely to be dropping .48 cal. balls down a .56 cal barrel. And in the old west, what would be the chances everybody except military would be shooting 45-70 or 44-40 or ?.

 

[hawkeye2]

I didn't mean to imply that it never happened but rather it seems to be overplayed (almost to the point of ridiculousness) in a lot of movies I've watched since childhood and I've seen a lot of B movies.

 

[Flintlock]

I hope no-one get's me wrong, I surely don't mean to imply that the women folk couldn't do it, (my little girl,23 and her mother are both flintlock shooters) I'm just thinking the hollyweird and fictional writers may have stretched this a bit. Sure it happened, but not as often as one would be led to believe.

 

[azmntman]

Whats hard to believe, for me, would be a family owning more than 1-2 guns at all anyway. If they had two a few gals could load and the man shoot. If only one I would guess the gals could load while the man kept watch out the port hole for the best/most important next target.

In an "alamo" situation as a man was down his gun was still used and as the shooting kept up there were likely 3-4 or more guns per man and loaders would be welcome and practical. Still could get confusing loading a .45 a few .50s and a .40 during the hysterical situation of cheyene or mexican attack :shocked2:

 

[Flintlock]

I'll have to ask the ol lady and see if she remembers loading for her dad or uncles.

 

[Flintlock]

A 48 looks like a 50, a 54 won't fit for darn in a 52. Top that off with indians climbing the walls and terrible lighting, east to make mistakes. :youcrazy:

 

[coloradoclyde]

A 48 looks like a 50, a 54 won't fit for darn in a 52. Top that off with indians climbing the walls and terrible lighting, east to make mistakes. :youcrazy:

Right! they won't fit...that's how you tell them apart.

First we need documentation of one of these "Hollywood" Indian battles

Then we have to take into account battlefield loading...
Heck!...Even during stake shoots I would just throw a bare ball down the barrel, and I still hit my mark...And then there's buckshot for the muskets or larger rifles....

Remember the scene in Jerimiah Johnson when Del told him to load his gun full of nails....

The reality is usually one side or the other got killed rather quickly...

 

[Kapow]

Well thanks a lot for ruining my childhood! 😂

I always wondered how they didn't shoot hubby in the backside in the process.

 

[tenngun]

I think it is over done, but looks good. Little details like different sizes to each rifle wouldn't bother Hollywood. I grew up thinking all cowboys had peacemakers and Winchester 73s :haha:

 

[Katahdin]

Answer,,smooth bore,,if it fits down the muzzle, it shoots.Reading in postings where smooth bore were chosen for that reason,round ball with a patch or shot with wad,multi use.so universal shooters/loaders.

 

[hunts4deer]

It is documented by French journals that at Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) in the 1758 seige by the British, the best marksmen of the French were often singled out to do the shooting while others loaded for them. Not all of them on the abatis (wall) were doing this, but some were.

Now their loads were fairly standard, with bores and ball size all within a given tolerance. Different gun bores and balls in a Hollywood sieged-cabin scenario might have slowed the loading process a little, but its still faster that the attacking side can load while out in the open making the attack, probably with just one gun.

There may have been some degree of concern about women being asked to shoot and kill people, so the men did that and the women simply loaded. This would have addressed the sensibilities of many of the women of that time.

 

[crockett]

I think in the battle of New Orleans there was a similar reference to other soldiers reloading rifles for the best marksmen but off hand- I can't recall any diary, etc. about women reloading for men.

 

[Artificer]

It seems to me it has been documented on this forum that it was not uncommon in the early days of KY that extra smoothbores were kept around for fighting NA's.

OK, so a man has a rifle and shoots that. He hands it back and his wife to reload it while he keeps an eye on the attacking foes. His daughter or young son puts the smoothbore in his hands that she/he just loaded. When he shoots that, he hands it back and Daughter/Son grabs it to reload it and his wife puts the loaded rifle into his hands, etc., etc. until the fight is over.

Easy solution, two guns reloaded by different people with the correct ball/shot for each gun.

Gus

 

[bob308]

it was a common drill in the military for the front rank to fire and the back two to load and pass the loaded gun forward.

now for the fort situation don't over think it. they could load with powder ball and a wad and shoot the rifle like a smooth bore. after all it was during a rush at a 100 yds. or less where a large volume of fire would be better then pin point auccrcy.

 

[tenngun]

The tops, a platform on the lower mast of a ship was armed with marines to fire on enemy deck.often a marine marksman would do the shooting while his mess men reloaded for him. Naval war fare got a double whammy. The officers dressed like offecers so that in the din of battle they could be recognized. Walked calmly in the open to steady the men and made perfect targets.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

it was a common drill in the military for the front rank to fire and the back two to load and pass the loaded gun forward.

You're gonna have to provide a reference for that drill. :haha:

The men in ranks exchanging positions in what is known as street firing to speed the time between volleys in a confined space in a town, yes, but passing the muskets when formed in ranks ...???

Walks with gun wrote:
I'm just thinking the hollyweird and fictional writers may have stretched this a bit.

Aw heck, the four guys living next door to my daughter at her college introduced me to a new drinking game..., based on Hollywood over use..., a person playing the game picks a show on cable, and it's watched for 5 minutes. IF the phrase, "With All Due Respect" is uttered, everybody drinks..., if they go the five minutes without hearing it, the person choosing the show drinks alone, and the next person takes a turn..., and so on...,

So yeah, Hollywood is lazy lazy lazy about a lot of things. :grin:

LD

 

[hanshi]

The women were probably well versed in the use of guns; they pretty much had to be. In feudal Japan women were usually very proficient with at least one weapon.
:grin: Besides, those gals had to be useful for something! :nono:

God, but I'm gonna get skint for that! :v: