3rd East Kent Regiment of Foot (The Buffs)
The “Brown Bess” or Tower musket commonly known during the period simply as the firelock was produced in primarily in three main patterns.
The Long Land pattern was the first pattern and was produced from 1742 through to 1768. It had a long 46 inch barrel and four ramrod hoops.
From 1768 through to the early 1790’s the Short Land Pattern was produced, this was an attempt, along with several other changes outlined in the 1768 clothing warrant to reduce the load of a British soldier and the barrel was shortened to 42 inches.
The Last Pattern and the type that we carry is the India Pattern. This was a wartime economy version of the musket and was developed by the Honourable East India Company, hence the name, officially approved by the board of ordinance in 1795 it was used extensively during the Napoleonic wars and over 3 million where made. The Weapon had a shorter barrel of only 39 inches and only three ramrod hoops as well as having no thumb plate. In 1809 the swan-necked cock was replaced by a reinforced version. So many of these weapons were made that a few were still in use during the Indian mutiny in 1857.
The light infantry version were issued to light regiments and to light companies from about 1810 although it took sometime for all to get them.
In 1800 The Board of Ordinance Announced that it would be holding trials to find a new standard pattern of British army rifle. The Rifle designed by Ezekiel Baker won the Trails and went into production the same year. The Rifle had seven grooves known as "Lands" which imparted spin on the lead ball making it accurate up to 300 yards, about six times the range of an accurate shot from a musket.
The Light company of the Buffs where issued with a small number of Baker rifles as part of an Experiment by the army in 1814 and they continued to carry them through the remainder of the peninsular war into southern France and took them with them to the USA.