The Guns of 1776 – Musket Replicas from Davide Pedersol

CLICK HERE FOR LINK to an interesting article about the Brown Bess.  We may not agree with everything in the article, but it makes some good points:
1. Brown Bess puts .75 holes in everything it hits.
2. Brown Bess is deadly - delivers twice the lead of a .45 ACP at about the same or more velocity.
3. Brown Bess can shoot a ball through more than one person (historically accurate).
4. Crisco is good lube.  (Note beeswax can also be mixed with Crisco for lubing paper cartridges.)
5. You can "dry ball" .715 balls (i.e. load without patches) after the first couple shots dirties the bore.
6. Cloth or paper patches can catch fire after the shot.  (So be careful in dry leaves or grass.)
7. Buckshot does work great in a Brown Bess, it's devastating at close range.
8. Shotgun brushes with patches wrapped around them works great for cleaning a Brown Bess bore.
9. Best cleaning solvent is standard dish soap in warm water.