Weapons

Rifled percussion musket

The weapon that doubled the allied range.

Rifled percussion musket
Pattern 1853 Enfield rifled musket, with the percussion lock and the Minié ball. Reference model.
Loading
Through the muzzle, with a conical Minié ball
Ignition
Percussion cap on a nipple
Caliber
14.8 mm (Minié) and 14.66 mm (Enfield)
Effective range
About 400 m (Helio Vera)

The hollow-based conical bullet expanded on firing and gripped the rifling of the barrel; a percussion cap replaced the flint. Brazil used mainly Minié and Enfield muskets, and the Argentine infantry had mostly rifled percussion arms. Paraguay had very few: at Tuyutí only three battalions were not fighting with flintlocks.

‡ Disputed.Which percussion muskets Paraguay had: three battalions with “Witton” rifles, according to one source; one battalion with British Miniés and others with Wittons, according to another.

Sources: Rudolph Schubert, Revista Brasileira de História Militar no. 36 (2024); ABC Color, the weapons of the Paraguayan soldiers; Helio Vera.

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