Swedish Land Pattern Musket

The Swedish infantry musket, or the Swedish Land Pattern Musket, was a muzzle-loaded 0.63 (16.002 mm) to 0.81 (20.7mm)-inch calibre smoothbored long gun. These weapons were in service within the Royal Swedish Army from the mid-16th century until the mid-19th century.

Swedish Land Pattern Musket
Type	long gun
Place of origin	Kingdom of Sweden
Service history
In service	Royal Swedish Army (1550s—1860s)
Used by	Swedish Empire (1550s—1721)
Wars	Northern Seven Years' War Russo-Swedish War 1590—95 War against Sigismund Polish–Swedish War (1600—29) De la Gardie campaign Ingrian War Kalmar War Thirty Years' War Torstenson War First Bremian War Little Northern War Second Bremian War Scanian War War of the League of Augsburg Great Northern War The War of the Hats Pomeranian War (part of the Seven Years' War theatre) Russo-Swedish War 1788—90 Theatre War Barbary Coast War Franco-Swedish War 1805—07 Finnish War Dano-Swedish War of 1808—09 Anglo-Swedish War 1810—12 War of the Sixth Coalition Campaign against Norway
Production history
Manufacturer	Nerike Faktori Jönköpings Gevärsfaktori Söderhams Gevärsfaktori Norrtelje Gevärsfaktori Örebro Gevärsfaktori Husqvarna Group Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori
Produced	1550s—1840s
Specifications
Mass	8,86–<10,97 lb
Length	57.63–~59.05 in
Barrel length	40.86–~43.50 in
Cartridge	paper cartridge, buck and ball/solid shot (~.59–~.76), undersized to reduce the effects of powder fouling, cartridge weight: ~1.0864 oz
Calibre	.63–~.81
Barrels	1 (smoothbore)
Action	matchlock, snaphaunce lock, flintlock (doglock), percussion lock (doglock until Model 1840)
Muzzle velocity	984.252–1312.336 ft/s, max 1476.378–1640.420 ft/s
Effective firing range	100 yards (point target) 300 yards (area target)
Maximum firing range	>500 yards
Feed system	muzzle-loaded
Sights	front sights open sights

History

At the end of the 16th century, the Swedish military musket became a style-setter. Its style remained the same until about 1660 in most armies. In Sweden, its basic style lasted for many years—until the end of the 1680s. The matchlock was the dominant mechanism on the Swedish Army soldiers' muskets as well as among other European armed forces, and remained so until the latter half of the 1600s when the snaphaunce mechanism increasingly took over. But it was not until the flintlock mechanism as well as the bayonet had taken hold in earnest—around the turn of the 17th–18th centuries—that the matchlock became completely obsolete among the various squadrons within the Swedish Empire. However, some weapons equipped with wheellock mechanism were primarily reserved for the cavalry. The Swedish, purely warlike musket design remained in its basic form from Model 1696 until Model 1775. Before that, long guns – military as well as civilian – were produced in a variety of designs.

Clear variants

Model 1688

Matchlock Musket M1688
Snaphaunce Musket M1688

Model 1696

The flintlock carbine M1696 was the first bayonet-equipped.

Model 1762

Krävan with the krävan-fitting was abandoned in favour of a third scouring stick-pipe, where a ramrod (now made of iron) instead rested and a fourth scouring stick-pipe (all now in brass) next to the chamber. And the stock was equipped with a nose cap, also in brass.

Model 1775

With the manufacturing of the 1775 model, the pins holding the barrel in place were abandoned in favour of two scouring stick-pipe-bands with associated kräkor and a front barrel band nose cap with bow-shaped front sights in brass infused.

See also

• List of wars involving Sweden
• Military history of Sweden
• Musket

External links

• Swedish Army Museum
• Forum for Living History
• Swedish Ingermanland National Association (in Swedish)