The origins of the modern British military rifle are within its predecessor the Brown Bess musket. While a musket was largely inaccurate over 100 yards (91 m), due to a lack of rifling and a generous tolerance to allow for muzzle-loading, it was cheap to produce and could be loaded quickly. The use of volley or mass firing by troops meant that the rate of fire took precedence over accuracy.
Brown Bess musket – precursor to the early British rifles
Baker rifle
Barnett London Brunswick-style Percussion Rifle
Pattern 1851 Enfield
"Brown Bess" is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army's muzzle-loading smoothbore flintlock Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. The musket design remained in use for over a hundred years with many incremental changes in its design. These versions include the Long Land Pattern, the Short Land Pattern, the India Pattern, the New Land Pattern Musket, and the Sea Service Musket.
A Short Land Pattern Musket
Soldiers of the Black Watch armed with a musket (Brown Bess) and a halberd, circa 1790
X-ray of a Brown Bess musket recovered by LAMP archaeologists from an American Revolutionary War-era shipwreck from a ship lost in December 1782. It is believed to be a 1769 Short Land Pattern, and is loaded with buck and ball
