The Crockett rifles, and others like them, were more accurate than the "Brown Bess" muskets typically used by troops, including George Washington's troops and the British forces.

That's because the Crockett rifles had rifling, or spiral grooves, inside the bore which made the ball spin, creating a more accurate trajectory.

The "Brown Bess" muskets had a smooth bore and accuracy was limited. "Brown" came from an anti-rusting agent put on the metal that turned it a brown color. "Bess" came from either the word "Blunderbuss" or "arquebus," both early types of firearms. "Bess" also came from the nickname for Elizabeth I.