RE: (TFT) Re: Stuff

[James Eckman <fugu@wenet.net>]

> From: "grabowski" <grabowski@erols.com>
> Subject: RE: (TFT) Re: Stuff
> 
> I have fired a lot of different types of blackpowder fire arms both
> hand-held and artillery and the reloading time that Jackson gives for any of
> these arms is way TOO MUCH!  I have even fired the hand-held "pipe" (hand
> cannon) with a match without prepared rounds (horn only) and could fire it
> almost twice a minute (TFT about 8-9 turns) from the start without training
> (only watched it done once or twice.)

The advantage of having scholar, veteran or artificer ;) Grabbing a
random book off the shelf, "The Dawn of Modern Warfare", they say a
couple of minutes on the average for these weapons. This may include for
the really large ones setting the fork, etc. as well as the lack of the
concept of drill. Also seemingly simple improvements like iron ramrods
can make a big difference. Also the stress of combat causes problems,
there's much fumbling around and disorganization. There have been police
shootouts at distances of 5' were both parties emptied their pistols and
missed. Boils down again to drill, drill, drill! Not a big feature of
most feudal armies.

I too have handled and fired many different firearms, including a 37mm
cannon and various arquebuses and the like, I suspect for a well
drilled, experienced person your figures would be correct. Allow a
'Veteran' 'Gunner' a higher rate of fire.
 
> The arquebus BTW was developed about 1410 weighed about 10 pounds

And up! There were a wide variety of heavier ones also. Standardization
has a long ways to go.
 
> I believe a "saker" is a six-pound gun, a three pound gun is a "falconette",
> a four pound gun a "falcon", and the BIG guns are demi-culverins and
> culverins.  The French named their guns after birds-of-prey or snakes.

You could be right, my friends used this term for it, possibly the names
weren't that rigid early on? Standardized artillery is more a product of
the 30 Years War forward.

Jim Eckman
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