Author Topic: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?  (Read 1876 times)

CrazySmithy

  • Guest
Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« on: August 03, 2021, 07:06:27 AM »
So I would really like to make a couple matchlocks. I found a lot of good resources, but I need some help as far as some of the parts go.

I would appreciate it if anyone could post some detailed photos of the technical areas, the serpentine jaws, the breech plug, the inlet for the lock and for the trigger, the flashpan and how it is dovetailed onto the barrel, etc.

If you have any tips for building one as well, that would be very appreciated as well! Thank you!

Offline runastav

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1151
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2021, 03:54:11 PM »
Hi CrazySmithy! I build one from scrath ca 10 years ago maby you can bay drawings from Peter H. Kunz?https://www.isbn.de/buch/9783033080775_konstruktionen-historischer-feuerwaffen.htm




Offline okawbow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 909
  • West Tennessee/ Southern Illinois
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2021, 04:39:07 PM »
A few years ago, I made a Dutch style .75 caliber matchlock. I made every part including the barrel and screws. The barrel is 48” long and made from seamless hydraulic cylinder tube. I think I made the breechplug 15/16” fine thread. The lock is patterned after a print I found online. Shoots .735 ball very well, and bird shot ok to 25 yards.



As in life; it’s the journey, not the destination. How you get there matters most.

Offline heinz

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1158
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2021, 06:47:56 PM »
here are some European models













kind regards, heinz

Offline heinz

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1158
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2021, 06:50:56 PM »
And here is a revolver





kind regards, heinz

Offline Levy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 786
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2021, 10:03:38 PM »
I've had the opportunity to work on many matchlocks recovered from shipwrecks (Atocha, 1622) (1715 Plate Fleet) 1733 Plate Fleet).  The ones that I worked on were supremely simple in construction.  There were generally three different sizes encountered; arquebus (.60's), mosquete (.80's) and wall/rail gun (.90's).  The rail guns had a post on the bottom of the barrel to catch on a rail or go into a hole.  The post had a hole in it for the ramrod.  Never saw a ramrod pipe, just barrel bands to hold the ramrod in the stock.  Some barrel pins were made of iron and some were wood.  Underlugs seemed to be staked in.  Ramrods were entirely resting in a groove in the bottom of the stock ( fully exposed).  Only saw one light arquebus where the ramrod went into the stock for a short way.  The locks all had only one small leaf spring to keep tension on both the tiller and the serpentine.  Most had tubular rear peep sights with some notched rear sights dovetailed into the barrel.  Front sights were staked into a slot and not dovetailed.  A few had markings or letters stamped into the barrel breech or on the tail of the lockplate.  The most notable changes between the 1622 guns and the 1715 guns were the exterior shape of the barrels and the forearms of the stocks.  The 1622 guns were tapered octagonal and the 1715 guns were oct/rnd.  The forearm wood of the 1622 guns reflected the barrels and were faceted.  The 1715 forearms wood was round like the barrel.  I assume these were simply stylistic changes over time.  Virtually all of the powder pans were dovetailed into the barrel from the breech end of the barrel.  Only two that I saw had the priming pans as part of the locks and those two locks were different from all the rest.  Virtually all the barrels were between 39"- 44".  There was a fire shield that went between the powder pans pivot point and was pinched into a groove at the breech of the barrel (obviously behind the vent hole).  If I remember correctly, the heads of the bolts that held the lock in place were 19mm in diameter.  A couple of the 1715 guns actually had barrel band retaining springs, like later flintlock muskets, but only at the muzzles.  The stock shape was what is called Catalan, like a boot with only the downward curve and not upward curve.  I saw none with a thumb groove.  The miquelet escopetas exhibited the same Catalan stock shape, but with a thumb groove at the wrist.  Hope you're not bored to tears reading my long post.  James Levy     
James Levy

Offline heinz

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1158
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2021, 03:44:35 AM »
James, thanks for taking the time to post that detailed and informative text.
kind regards, heinz

Offline David Rase

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4319
  • If we need it here, make it here. Charlie Daniels
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #7 on: August 05, 2021, 03:49:06 AM »





Offline Levy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 786
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #8 on: August 05, 2021, 05:26:46 PM »
What David shows in the photo is a pretty typical matchlock mechanism.  the only difference between it and what I saw from the wrecks is the spring was to the rear of the pivot point and it pressed down on the sear instead of pressing up.   Usually, there was a small peak on the lockplate at that location (where the sear spring was located).  A few lockplates were rectangular in shape without the peak.  James Levy
James Levy

Offline Adrie luke

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 358
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #9 on: August 07, 2021, 05:59:01 PM »
Here a drawing.







Offline fahnenschmied

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 108
Re: Matchlock photos, plans, thoughts and tips?
« Reply #10 on: August 07, 2021, 06:59:47 PM »
If you look under this forum there are a great many early matchlock guns - the owner of most of them took many photos of them disassembled, showing the forms of pan dovetails, screws, etc.  http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=2