The British infantry firing drill in 1780 was the procedure laid out in "The Manual Exercise, As Ordered by His Majesty," issued in 1764 and used through the Revolutionary War. The drill broke the loading-and-firing cycle into a specific sequence of named commands — "Prime and load," "Make ready," "Present," "Fire" — each performed simultaneously by the entire line at the bark of a sergeant or officer. "Make ready" was the second-to-last command before fire: the soldier brought his loaded musket up from the order arms position, cocked the lock, and held the weapon vertical or near-vertical, waiting for "Present" to bring it down to the firing position. The drill produced volleys with each man ready to discharge at the same instant — the disciplined British line fire that decided so many eighteenth-century engagements. A well-trained British line could deliver three rounds a minute by the manual; the best could approach four.

This figure shows a 43rd Foot infantryman at the "Make ready" position — musket held vertically with both hands, bayonet pointing up, left hand at the grip and right hand at the wrist, the lock cocked and the weapon a fraction of a second from being lowered to the firing position. He wears the standard British line infantry dress of 1780: scarlet coat with white facings, white waistcoat, white breeches, black knee gaiters, white cross-belts with cartridge box and bayonet sheath, tricorne with white binding. He pairs with the British 43rd Foot soldier in defensive position, the British 43rd Foot Company Officer (the officer giving the firing commands), and the British 43rd Foot Sergeant with Halberd (the NCO dressing the line) — together composing a complete 43rd Regiment firing line at the moment of "Make Ready."

1/30 scale (60mm), matte-painted, single figure boxed. Catalog number 16155. As with the rest of the W. Britain modern range, the painting is photographic-quality detail intended to read well in dioramas and display cases.