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| A series of long, large and black musket models were in use by the Danish-Norwegian military forced throughout most of the 1700’s. These long-guns were awesome! Brass butt plates with huge screws, large locks, brass ramrod pipes and magnificent trimmings. Theese are guns with true decoration value. Most of these models were so similar that I've chosen to concentrate on only one of the original models – the longest, largest and blackest – the M1774. (Well, they are also found in brown version when made after 1788). These smooth bored infantry long-guns have been rebuilt, converted and rebuilt again over the years. They are therefor found in a number of variations. They were used as shortened drill muskets with flintlock for the jägers or shortened with percussion for the citizens militia. You also find them in long percussion version, a short and a long rifled version with pillar breech etc. – all depending on their condition and the need of the moment. As a result, there are about 100 variations of the different Danish/Norwegian smooth bored infantry muskets of the 1700’s - asnd that is noy counting the Danish conversions. My four variations so far, are the M1774 in completely original flintlock version, the shortened jäger M1774/1993 in flintlock, a full length M1774/1841 in percussion and a full length pillar breech M1774/1841/51 rifle. This last version of the M1774 was made from the very best of the percussion muskets. There is also a shorter version of this rifle as an 1860 conversion. The M1774 really is a Macho Man’s long-gun - 1,45 m long without the bayonet and weighing more than 5 kg! The gun would reach the soldier to the nose without bayonet mounted. Black powder gives nowhere the push as modern gunpowder, but just look at the screws on the butt plate. This was no gun for wimps or boys. I’ve tried to picture how the poor soldiers dragged these monsters along on muddy roads and through snow in rough terrain. These infantry muskets have always been fairly reasonable in price. Nordenfieldske Grenader Compagnie has a rather good article on Danish/Norwegian infantry muskets (in Norwegian). |
| Glattløpet infanterigevær M1774 (Smooth bored infantry musket M1774) |
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| The picture shows how little of the musket that needed changing in order to convert it from flintlock to percussion. At the next conversion, the screw in the rear of the barrel was exchanged to one with a pillar, the barrel was rifled and there were mounted new sights. This was a fairly expencive alteration and done only because of a possibility of a war against Sweden. Norway already had breech loaders enough for it's military forces, these were for the reserve. |