Existing comment:
A German known only as Zimmerman in 1573 invented "hail-shot," a form of case shot with a bursting charge and complete with a primitive fuse ignited by the propellant.
By 1586, small arms had vastly improved, for example, Musketeers were using composite cartridges that consisted of a spherical bullet and a powder charge wrapped in paper. In charging his piece, the musketeer would tear or bite the cartridge and pour the powder down the muzzle of the barrel and then ram the paper and the bullet into place. It is interesting to note that as late as the U.S. Civil War, the same type of cartridge was still in use. |