Musket Ball & Buck Shot
Throughout the early to mid-19th century, the musket was the standard firearm of the infantryman.
Though it had considerably less accuracy and range than the rifle, the musket could be reloaded much faster and easier, allowing a unit of soldiers to fire more rounds per minute. One way to compensate for the muskets lack of accuracy was to load it with “buck and ball”. Soldiers would load a single full-size musket ball along with three to six smaller-sized “buck shot” balls, essentially turning the musket into a shotgun and increasing the chances of hitting the enemy at extremely close range.
