My 1740 Potsdam Musket

Reproduction 1740 model Potsdam musket, from The Discriminating General in Canada

I was excited to learn that my reproduction Model 1740 Potsdam Musket had arrived today. The musket was purchased from Military Heritage through their The Discriminating General website. The Company is located in Canada. Military Heritage and Potsdam Musket

I was perusing their web site a month ago, because they often have some very nice historical reproductions that are fun to look at  and once in awhile I am tempted to make a purchase from them. I had previously purchase a British grenadier mitre for the Seven Years War era and a couple of other smaller items. The company makes complete uniforms with all of the bits and pieces of equipment and accoutrements, including side arms and fire arms. Many of their uniforms go to historical museums or are used in historical films, and given the former usage, their authenticity has to be very accurate.

So I was very surprised to see that they had added the Prussian Model 1740 Potsdam Musket to their product line. Why was I so excited, you might ask? Well, as far as I knew up until then, nobody in the world made reproduction Prussian muskets for the SYW. At one time, you could buy a Potsdam kit and attempt to make and assemble the musket yourself (not a viable option for most of us), but that was about it. I don't know how it came to pass that The Discriminating General was making the Potsdam Musket, but I knew that I had to have one to display on my wall at home.

The muskets are delivered in a non-firing state so that the Company can ship the weapon across international borders. You can then have a qualified gunsmith drill out the touch hole to put the piece into firing condition. I haven't decided yet whether I want to have my musket in firing condition, or just to use it as a display piece.

The workmanship looks very impressive to me. I have included a couple close up photographs of the fire lock (is that what you call it?). You can even see the factory marking, where the word "Potsdammagaz" is engraved onto the firing plate. There is also a nifty looking royal cypher or symbol engraved in brass and affixed to the stock of the musket.

A close up view of firing mechanism

The factory mark

I expected the Potsdam to be heavy, and it was, weighing in at 9 pounds, according to the UPS shipping invoice. I know very little about muskets, but it appears to be nicely balanced, with most of the weight in the back third of the musket. It does not come with the red leather musket sling/strap, so I will probably have to find a company that makes these and order one.

One nice little thing about having this model is that it answers the question, "what are the details on the musket and how do you paint one on a miniature?" I now have a handy reference at hand.

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By the way, would someone please add himself as a "follower" to this blog? I have been stuck on the number 399 and one more follower would bring my total up to a nice, symetrical even number, like 400.

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Upcoming Wargame this weekend: On Saturday February 15th I will travel to Brown Deer with my Minden Austrian and Prussian armies so that we can have a game on Bill Protz's giant 6 ft by 24ft table. Something about the invasion of Saxony, so I'm told. What can go wrong with that? I will post a report over the weekend complete with pictures and details.