Rifle Shoppe Dutch matchlock vs. Swedish snaplock

[clayton707]

Hello everyone!

For awhile now, I have wanted to build a small arm to represent one of those found on board the Swedish warship Vasa of 1628.

The Rifle Shoppe have two kits that would fit the bill to nearly fit the bill; the Dutch matchlock and the Swedish snaplock.

My question (which TRS is not responding to) is mainly on the Swedish snaplock:

http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/snaplocks/%28685%29.htm

Notice the strange bulge below the lock and to the front of the trigger guard. Is this because the snaplock that this weapon was copied from was a converted wheelock? I think it is very possible.

The stocks found on Vasa for the snaplocks on board didn't have this feature. And so, I am wondering if it would do any internal harm to the lock to remove it if I go with this build?

If it cannot be removed without hindering the operation of the lock, I will probably build the Dutch matchlock, which is representative of some of the Dutch built matchlocks found on Vasa:

http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/matchlocks/%28785%29.htm

Further, I have read that the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, preferred the matchlocks over snaplocks because he thought their simplicity made them more reliable.

Never have tried shooting either types, so don't know, but he was probably right.

Whatever I decide though, I will not buy their kit stock and carve my own after a drawing of one from the Vasa museum.

Should be a good learning experience, after finishing TRS Baker rifle as my first gun build.

Thanks in advance for any advice! 

Cheers!
Clayton

[Acer Saccharum]

Maybe Runar would be able to guide you? I'm pretty lost when it comes to the early forms of firearms.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=22189.msg211711#msg211711

[Eric Smith]

Now that gun really was back in the day.
Good luck with your build.

[Stophel]

The bump is just done in imitation of a wheel lock.  Most of the mechanism is outside the lockplate!  I can't imagine there being anything under that lump, if you want to reshape the plate.  Of course, I don't have one of them in my hands, so can't say for absolute certain.

[Acer Saccharum]

I recall seeing that lump on Cross bows, and asked the curator at the Met if that seemingly useless hump seen on firearms came from the crossbow. He opined that firearms and crossbows were contemporary, and more than likely, that came from a wheellock firearm design.

It was the crossbow that caused heavy armor to be phased out, not the firearm.

Armor breastplates could be made to withstand a ball, but there was no practical metal thickness that withstood a crossbow bolt.  Imagine getting pinned inside your armor by a bolt?

[runastav]

Hi Guys!
Here is my scratch build Snaplock side by side with my Poor Boy Tennessee Rifle cal 50 made by Matt Avance in TVM. Like Bookie say, if we can build it you can to:)
Runar

[TMerkley]

That must take a tremendous amount of patience and time!!!!