On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:20:47 GMT, Brian Whatcott
wrote:

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:48:29 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:

/snip/
Never mind the rag heads, I'm surprised that the 'mericans who's
buying power for foreign (Chinese) goods has decreased by about 30%
aren't cleaning the muskets and casting bullets.

Hmmm...this must be a nit-pickers' benefit!
Bullets can be round or cylindrical (OED definition)

Brian W
***
I suppose if you want to be dictionarily correct a bullet is "A
projectile that is fired from a gun" /snip/
Bruce-in-Bangkok

Hehe...I thought it was *you* who wanted to be
lexicographically OK when you said
clean muskets, cast bullets....

...or was that someone else? :-)

Brian W

Nope, I said that I thought it would sound funny to say "cleaning the
muskets and casting balls". Casting BALLS? Who's balls? Casting where?
Does it hurt?

Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:02:48 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:

Nope, I said that I thought it would sound funny to say "cleaning the
muskets and casting balls". Casting BALLS? Who's balls? Casting where?
Does it hurt?

I attributed the use of bullet, to the fact that ball doesn't parse
right.

I Just thought it wouldn't hurt to offer a few facts, Lots of history
been made with muskets. The Mexicans at the Alamo had muskets.
The US Civil war was the first major use of rifles, I believe. Until
the invention of the Minie ball [so called, it was really a bullet]
rifles were too slow loading to be popular with the military.

Casady

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:47:55 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:02:48 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:

Nope, I said that I thought it would sound funny to say "cleaning the
muskets and casting balls". Casting BALLS? Who's balls? Casting where?
Does it hurt?

I attributed the use of bullet, to the fact that ball doesn't parse
right.

I Just thought it wouldn't hurt to offer a few facts, Lots of history
been made with muskets. The Mexicans at the Alamo had muskets.
The US Civil war was the first major use of rifles, I believe. Until
the invention of the Minie ball [so called, it was really a bullet]
rifles were too slow loading to be popular with the military.

Casady

Go on all day if you like. I was a gunsmith for a while and used to
shoot muzzle loaders when I was a kid.

By the way, supposedly a "Brown Bess", I assume still a flintlock, was
used at the battle of Shiloh, in 1862. This is a weapon went into
service in about 1722. Now that is longevity.

According to what I've read the extremely heavy losses in the War
Between the States, at least in the early battles was due to using
"musket" tactics against troops armed with the new rifled muskets.

Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)