British Ordnance Muskets identifies and analyses in detail 18 ordnance muskets from the 1830s and 1840s. As well as providing the history and details of the muskets of this important period when the Ordnance transitioned from flintlock to percussion arms, it also covers the impact of two arms shortages, material losses suffered in the Tower of London fire (1841) and the obsolescence of all existing arms for the Militia and Volunteers. By consulting original records, Adrian Roads also offers much about the gun contractors themselves: what drove them, what irked them and their capacity for work. It includes several appendices that facilitate in-depth research into any British ordnance percussion musket held in a collection or under consideration for acquisition, making it an invaluable resource for researchers, students of arms and collectors alike.