The British Land Pattern Musket, or Brown Bess, was one of the longest serving infantry firearms in world history. Its nickname is of unknown origin, although some believe that it originated out of the ranks of the British Army- “brown” referring to the color of the walnut stock, and “Bess” as a female name to personify the infantryman’s rifle as his most faithful companion.

Cartridges for the venerable Bess were constructed using sturdy paper and twine that could be found around the campsite, and were constructed to facilitate speedy reloading between shots. This kit is designed to produce 40 cartridges of this type. It includes:

- 40, .69 caliber lead musket balls.
- Cartridge papers of sturdy brown newsprint.
- A forming rod.
- Flax twine for fixing cartridges.
- A choking cord assembly and stand.
- An illustrated instruction sheet that will walk you through the process of constructing cartridges.

Have your own projectiles or want to construct blank rounds? Click here to see our 80-round Bess kits without musket balls!

We also offer kits for Charleville Muskets- click here to take a look!