A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. [1]

Nov 20, 2025 · musket, muzzle-loading shoulder firearm, evolved in 16th-century Spain as a larger version of the harquebus. It was replaced in the mid-19th century by the breechloading rifle.

As the practice of rifling firearms—incising the barrel with spiral grooves to improve the bullet's accuracy—became more common, the term musket gradually gave way to the newer word rifle in the …

A soldier's musket, if not exceedingly ill-bored (as many of them are), will strike the figure of a man at eighty yards; it may even at 100; but a soldier must be very unfortunate indeed who shall be …

The musket emerged as a vital military tool in Europe during the 16th century, evolving from earlier hand cannons and arquebuses. Initially, these firearms were heavy and cumbersome, designed to …

A musket is a type of firearm that was designed as a long gun and was primarily used from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Typically, muskets were smoothbore weapons, meaning they did not …

What is a Musket? The musket is an iconic firearm that left its mark on military history between the 16th and 19th centuries. Recognized for its muzzle-loading technique, the musket served as an evolution …

The Musket is a type of firearm that typically featured a long, smoothbore barrel and fired either a musket ball or (from the 1840s) a Minie ball. The 'Musket' was developed from the smaller arquebus …

MUSKET definition: a heavy, large-caliber smoothbore gun for infantry soldiers, introduced in the 16th century: the predecessor of the modern rifle. See examples of musket used in a sentence.

A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. [1]