Hartwell, 17th century eight shot

[keweenaw]

This piece is for sale at a Dutch dealer.  Hartwell worked in London and this piece is dated 1680 or so according to the dealer.  Hartwell is also known to have produced stuff for the Hudson Bay Co.   I can't quite figure out how it locks up or how the central barrel fires unless it's in a chain with one of the outside barrels.  I love the fact that the frizzen is also a powder reservoir and can recharge the pan by rotating the wing nut on the side.   Even a takedown!

[Robin Hewitt]

Looks like it was made for Iames Bond'e 

[Bill Baldock]

I'm guessing it doesn't lock up, and the center barrel just has its own touch hole like the rest. Looks like the pan primer is manual, that is the pan doesn't reprime itself via some cam or lever arrangement rotating the gate, you just rotate the gate by hand, so likely the rest is manual too.  No need to lock up accurately like a revolver, since it's basically a pepperbox.

Very nice, thanks for posting that.  Wish I had the loose change to buy it.

- Bill B

[don getz]

Almost looks like a Kit Ravenshear creation.  We made barrels for Kit to build a Nock "Volley Gun".  It was a seven barreled gun, however, the barrels did not revolve.  When you fired it, the pan fired the middle barrel, and the outer
six barrels were vented from the middle barrel, so that all seven went off at one time.  They were all 50 cal. barrels,
and if I remember correctly he shot about 20 grains in each barrel, which equates to 140 grains of powder, but this was
pushing 7 -  .490 balls @ 180 grains each, or a total of 1260 grains of lead going out the barrels at one time.  We fired
it several times, recoil was not bad, and it kept all seven balls in about a one foot circle at 25 yards.  It was kind of a
neat gun, and I am not sure who owns it now........Don






 

[lew wetzel]

thats a really cool gun.doesnt look like it would be very accurate and probably a defensive weapon .would be good against pirates trying to storm onto your ship.

[keweenaw]

I'm thinking that one outside barrel and the center barrel fire at the same time.  The outside barrel that is in line with the center barrel has three punch marks in front of the touch hole that are lacking on the other touch holes.  If I was building this only from the pictures I would put some detents on the back of the revolving part to engage with a spring loaded plunger in the standing breech.  But boy would building that baby be a lot of work.

Tom

[Feltwad]

Don
The name Kit Ravenshear brings back memories, is he the same that used to work for the English company of Normans of Framlington,this would be in the late 1960s or early 70s.
Feltwad

[Seven]

I wonder if that center hole is for a barrel at all.  I wonder if it is how the whole barrel fixture was attached to the breech area, and if you looked down that center hole you might find a bolt of some sort.  It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the center hole looks different in some way.
-chad

[msmith]

Wow that is neat.Looks kinda like something that Elmer might use on Bugs Bunny.

[don getz]

Feltwad.....can't answer that, I first met Kit in the late 70's, shortly after we went into the barrel business.  I think he had
just moved down from somewhere in Canada to Ashland, Pa.  At the time he was busy building Brown Bess muskets,
and that always seemed to be his forte.  While he was quite ingenious with his gunbuilding, he did not come out of the
same mould as most of the great british gunmakers whose work we so admire...........Don

[Dan'l 1946]

Does anyone know when the back action flintlock first appeared?
                                                                                                      Dan

[Ky-Flinter]

I'm probably missing something obvious, but I gotta ask....  what's the purpose of the hinged butt stock?

Very interesting piece.  Thanks for posting the pictures.

-Ron

[keweenaw]

Dan,

It would take someone who's given it more study than me to tell when the back action flintlock first appeared but there are designs for them in the French Design books from about 1660.  The hook on the mainspring pushes up on the back of the tumbler.

Ky,

The hinged butt stock is simply to make the piece shorter for transport.  Since it's already short I don't know why one would need to do that but maybe it made it easier to carry in a coach or some such.

[Roger B]

I love it!  A flint assault carbine with a folding stock!