Charleville musket

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The Charleville musket was the primary musket used exclusively by the Canadian Militia from the early 1700s right up to the early 1800s because of its solidity and lightness. The calibre was somewhat small for warfare, but this was offset by the shooting accuracy of the Canadians. It was also used by French during their participation in the American Revolutionary War. These smoothbore muskets were named after the armory in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, France. It was also distributed to the Americans, and later became the basis for the pattern of the Springfield Musket of 1795. They are 60 1/2 inches, with a 45-inch (1.1 m) barrel, and have "U.S." stamped on the buttstock. This was done to prevent soldiers from taking them when soldiers discharged. It fired a .69-caliber ball, smaller than the Brown Bess, and which normally allowed for less windage than contemporary muskets. It had a fire ratio of approximately 2-3 shots per minute, and a maximum range for 200 meters, although only fairly accurate for up to 50 meters.

Charleville muskets were shipped from France to America in three parts: lock, stock and barrel – giving origin to the phrase "lock, stock, and barrel."^{[citation needed]}