AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: Daniel on July 12, 2016, 08:07:06 PM
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I have been thinking about building a matchlock or having one built. Any suggestions out there ?
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Sure: do some web research on historical arms, and fly at it.
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I have talked with Brian Anderson. I may have him build one.
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I have a very early 17th century one from John Buck, I love it.
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Hi Daniel,
Brian would build a very nice matchlock. He pays attention to detail and is a very fine blacksmith. With the exception of the barrel, Brian could easily fabricate all the other parts and I am confident the work would look absolutely historically accurate. He does not seem to embellish his guns very much but he makes very well made unadorned guns. I met Brian (we both live in Vermont) during a woods walk last fall. He shot with my group. He had a beautiful but plain miquelet escopeta that he built from TRS parts. It shot really well and reliably. He would be a very good choice for your project.
dave
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Thanks Dave. Leaning that way. I need to sell a gun to do this.
Daniel
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"bout three decades back I built a matchlock. Used Italian styling, as Italian weapons were popular with early 17th century Englishmen. Built it with a long sear bar as I though triggers rather effeminate. Used a rifled barrel because I had one. Took it to our Michigan Canoe Shoot. All these guys in buckskins with tomahawks in their belts asking "will that thing go off? etc. Just like being 20 again, confusing other hunters by running a stick down the barrel of my double.
Anyway I never shot better. Hit the gourds floating down the river. Moving, albeit slowly, targets mind you. And on the firing line, at steel targets, down the line I heard a lot of click click #@!!&^%. Not me. Always went BOOM. Gentlemen, may I suggest that when a lighted match-cord is in the vicinity of black powder one is pretty much guaranteed some kind of explosion, somewhere. Fortunately I survived. Not wishing to tempt the Lord my God I sold that rifle to a re-enactor. It was fun, though.
Made my match cord with hard-to-find cotton cloths line soaked in saltpeter.
That is the wrong way to do it.
May I refer you to http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/lunte.html ? This tells the proper way to make slow match. Involves boiling cord in some manner of lye, which dissolves out the lignin leaving just cellulose. It is exactly how Kraft paper is made. Anyway read what Mr Bretscher has to say. And good luck!
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I HAD a matchlock like the one in the pictures on cord making. A snapping lock.
Key word HAD. I hate that I sold it. 12 ga. but the best shooting piece ever.
Thank you on the info.
Daniel