Making a matchlock rifle

Should be a fun project. It is interesting that you appear to be building it with a hooked breech. Seems to me, the hooked breech would be a little late for a matchlock but, as you say, it's not necessarily intended to be HC and an easily removable barrel will make cleaning easier.
Please keep us posted on progress.
 
KDW__ said:
Why a matchlock? Love the idea but would honestly not want to be walking around with a burning match myself.
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A matchlock might not be best for stalking, but would work from a blind.

There were matchlock guns with rifled barrels used for target shooting.

I'd be inclined to replace the tiller with a trigger and guard. Safer in the field.
 
B_noser said:
Should be a fun project. It is interesting that you appear to be building it with a hooked breech. Seems to me, the hooked breech would be a little late for a matchlock but, as you say, it's not necessarily intended to be HC and an easily removable barrel will make cleaning easier.
Please keep us posted on progress.
Click to expand...
Ya I m using a hooked breech on it for ease of cleaning but it will still have the fish tail type of stock
 
tiriaq said:
A matchlock might not be best for stalking, but would work from a blind.

There were matchlock guns with rifled barrels used for target shooting.

I'd be inclined to replace the tiller with a trigger and guard. Safer in the field.
Click to expand...
The gun has an automatic pan when the tiller is depressed it opens but it needs a bit of pressure on the tiller to do so and bumping the tiller by accident wonā€™t open the pan
 
There is a metal tube that grenadiers would use for holding matches for lighting the fuses on grenades. I always though it would be a good way to carry around matches in the field for a matchlock.
 
It would depend on how much match was being carried and how long a time burning match is needed.
Now that we have Bic lighters, would there be a need to have burning match for an extended period?
 
I can imagine a hunter in a stand working away with a flint and steel to get some tinder burning to get the match lit...

Regiments would have a firemaster who was responsible for assuring that fire was available for matches wherever and whenever needed. Match was kept available in large quantities, stored in barrels, because it was a consumable and of vital importance. There are 17th century inventories of stores, and large quantities of match were recorded.
 
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