Matchlocks

D

diomedesbc

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Calgary, AB
Is loyalist arms the only one who sells matchlock muskets? I'm interested in the early 1500 and 1600 matchlock and wheel lock muskets.
If anyone knows of any other possible suppliers please let me know, I've exhausted my search efforts.
 
With modern shoelaces a match lock might be viable if somewhat more care is taken.
I saw on another forum a recent thread about shooting match and wheel locks, I am not sure if I can provide a link or not...don't want to rack up too many infractions...............:eek::canadaFlag:
 
i would not buy from loyalist arms there guns are made in india and not vary good what you see in the pic's are alot differnt then what your going to get

theres alot of online stores that sell guns made in india i would ask before you buy if thay say india or asia i would not buy. locks dont work the way thay should breech plugs dont fit right

i can build a gun from a kit( parts are alot differnt then the kits from say TOW there just parts i need to build the lock and tune it inlet the lock ect)

i can do a few differnt matchlock muskets and even hand gonnes wheellock are still a little out of my skill level

pm me if you want or you could try to build one your self the rifle shoppe has the kits

your better off and much safer to have one built then to buy a indian made gun that may blow up or even worse shoot the breech plug back into your face the cost is worth it
 
Go to muzzleloadingforum.com and ask there. There is at least one custom gunmaker in the US who is currently making serious matchlock reproductions. If you are going to commission a gun from a custom builder, check for testimonials, talk to other customers, study photos, confirm delivery time, etc.
If you want a kit, The Rifle Shoppe is an option. Do not just order the parts, call them, make sure that what you want is in inventory. If its not in inventory, the wait can be long.
First matchlock I made was a replica of one in the Royal Ontario Museum. Had it removed from a dispay case and taken to a study room. Thought to be English, ca1620. One of the large fishtail butt muskets. 48" barrel, octagon to round. I cheated on the barrel; the original barrel had a swept taper. I machined the blank octagon to round, but used a straight taper, for ease in machining and inletting. The gun finished at 14 pounds. These are very simple guns mechanically, but there are a lot of styling differences compared with later flint guns. Don't know where this gun is now. The federal government - Parks Canada - bought it for one of the historic sites. This was in '72 or '73. I still have my original drawings, have shared them with a couple of builders. Last was with a chap at weaponsguild.com. Thought of building a repro of one of the late 17th century muskets, one of the ones that is styled like a late 17th century flint musket, got the lock made, but haven't progressed any further.
If you are thinking of building a musket, Track of the Wolf does list musket barrels that would be suitable.
If you are interested in an Indian repro, deal with an estabished importer, and ask them outright if any of their customers have had problems after the barrel is vented. Might even be an idea to consider one of these guns as if it were a kit, and plan on doing a bit of reworking.
 
Loyalist is a excellent company , the only time I noticed "problems" with one of their muskets was when a supposed "pro" gunsmith tried to make it "better" and in doing so the "pro" ruined a beautiful excellent musket....then of course blamed the origion of its parts........god it pisses me off to even think of it.


Give Blair a call "loyalist" hes a excellent man and stands behind all he sells, the matchlock they offer is a nice looking historically correct looking arm.


If you go to the muzzleloading forum be prepared to deal with a bunch of rather uppity guys, dare say that a quality musket should cost less then 1000$$ or that you enjoy your bess that was made in india and you will be chewed up and politely slandered.


I was a member for a loooong time and hardly go anymore because there is a certain custom builder there that is a complete idiot and basically chases many new folks from the hobby....


My 2 cents
 
One of the things that struck me about shooting the one I described is how slow ignition was. I would have thought that once the match got to the powder it would be quick. Instead, the match would disappear behind the fence, and then there was a perceptable pause, as if nothing were happening.
The flashpan on the original had a circular basin for the priming, with a groove leading to the touch hole. Were I making another, I would set up the pan like a flint gun, with the basin right up against the barrrel, rather than trying to duplicate a less efficient earlier design.
I've got a couple of bandsawed blanks in the lumber pile, one maple, one walnut. Have been thinking about using the walnut blank to make up a light matchlock caliver, using a trade gun sized barrel. Have an new old stock North Star 41" barrel which would be appropriate. Or, there is a new, never fitted 36" 12ga Cooey barrel which would finish at 34" when breeched.
Just a comment about shooting matchlocks - there is a very real safety factor with that burning match.
 
tiriaq said:
- there is a very real safety factor with that burning match.
Click to expand...

I have a swiss friend who shoots matchlocks and he removes the match and puts the end in a container hanging from his belt, while loading. He also recommended lead acetate for getting a hot clean burning slow match, but I don't know how you would ever get any today with all of the restrictions on chemicals. I gather lead acetate may have been used as a priming compound at one time

cheers mooncoon
 
Musketeer has a lot of worthwhile information, well presented, on his site. The series on forging the gonne is interesting.
 
tiriaq said:
Musketeer has a lot of worthwhile information, well presented, on his site. The series on forging the gonne is interesting.
Click to expand...

yes it is very interesting i dont have another person to help and a big enough anvil to forge barrels yet but maybe one day :)

i could try a small pistol barrel
 
I've done some forging, knife blades, etc. but never any forge welding. Have a blower and tuyere, so have the start for a forge. And have a place to build one. No anvil. Know a chap who lives not too far away who blacksmiths, and has an abundant supply of good coal. I do any machine work, drill sharpening, etc. that he needs done.
If I were to make a gonne, I'd just take it out of solid on the lathe. Hardly traditional, though.
 
You can also get 1028 heavy wall seamless drawn steel tubing. You are limited to .500", .625", .750" bores and 1.000", 1.125",1.250"OD. From what I've seen available at metal supermarket.
 
Yes, tubing can be useful. For the matchlock I described above, I used 1.5" OD x .750" ID x 4' seamless. That's about 11ga. My lathe at the time had 54" center distance.
 
camerl2009 said:
i would not buy from loyalist arms there guns are made in india and not vary good what you see in the pic's are alot differnt then what your going to get............
Click to expand...

Absolute crap; I hope you speak from direct experience, and if you are, it is definitely the exception rather than the rule......
Yes, much of their stuff comes from India, but all models are completely re-constructed/assembled/verified/timed at their shop in Nova Scotia.

I have dealt with almost every BP vendor in Canada and the US in my search for parts over the years of custom rifle fabrication, and this does include Loyalist, for parts and complete guns. Blair is a standup guy, and goes the extra mile to ensure you're completely satisfied. If not, return everything and get your money back, period.

Yes, there is Track and the Rifle Shop and a whole host of others; but in the end, it's all about what's in your bank account, and how much you want to hand over to someone for a BP rifle/musket.

For the price - the Loyalists matchlock is a well constructed, solid and capable piece of kit. And if you don't like it, send it back and get your money refunded.
 
mooncoon said:
I have a swiss friend who shoots matchlocks and he removes the match and puts the end in a container hanging from his belt, while loading......
Click to expand...

A friend and I designed an electric match using a glow-plug from a radio-control nitro engine, inside a fake "match chord". You squeezed the switch with the thumb prior to lowering the "match" into the pan. Worked everytime.....well, until the batteries died.... :redface:
 
Weapontech said:
Absolute crap; I hope you speak from direct experience, and if you are, it is definitely the exception rather than the rule......
Yes, much of their stuff comes from India, but all models are completely re-constructed/assembled/verified/timed at their shop in Nova Scotia.

I have dealt with almost every BP vendor in Canada and the US in my search for parts over the years of custom rifle fabrication, and this does include Loyalist, for parts and complete guns. Blair is a standup guy, and goes the extra mile to ensure you're completely satisfied. If not, return everything and get your money back, period.

Yes, there is Track and the Rifle Shop and a whole host of others; but in the end, it's all about what's in your bank account, and how much you want to hand over to someone for a BP rifle/musket.

For the price - the Loyalists matchlock is a well constructed, solid and capable piece of kit. And if you don't like it, send it back and get your money refunded.
Click to expand...

yep bought a flintlock pistol from military heritage lock was slow and fit and finish was not so good i sent it back with out thinking twice

affter i seen that some where vary bad i seen a pic from one where the breech plug was only held there by the tang screw the threads on the breech where not engaged on the barrel :eek: one of two things could happen with that one gas blow back in to the threads and have them rust and pit till the breech plug fails or it could be shot back into the eye or face

i would not trust any gun made in india

its not the barrel im worried about thick walled dom or seamless tubing is good enough for muzzleloaders its the breech plugs and locks that are the turn off
 
ciphery said:
Come to think, the .750" came in 1.250" and 1.500"
Do you know if the steel was 1028?
Click to expand...

I believe it was 1015. In addition to the matchlock, made some Brown Bess barrels as well. Also used some with .625 ID as well.
Seamless mild steel tube is quite satisfactory for smoothbore barrels, provided it is free from flaws. It is quite ductile, and in the event of a problem is more likely to bulge or split, rather than shatter.
 
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