Snaphance sear operation.

[Rudyard]

If I follow you correctly the trigger simple pushes away the Prop like secondery scear with no other function. asked of it .
Rudyard

 

[rickystl]

Hi Matt

Yes, you have the sear operation correct. The sear spring is always applying a small amount of tension against the sear itself, even when the hammer is in the rest position against the buffer. The hammer simply keeps the sear from protruding through the hole in the lock plate till brought back to the cock position.
Once the trigger bar is pulled back, the tension on the sear spring is actually increased with no tension on the sear itself. The sear (with no tension against it) just drops back out of the way so the hammer can move forward. That's why you will notice a bevel on the inside of the hammer and the nose of the sear. Sort of like a sliding board effect. LOL It took me forever to figure this out originally. Works sort of the opposite you first think.

Rick

 

[Henry Elwood]

Greetings,
Not much to add to the thread but this is my Snaphaunce on the back cover of TRS catalog '96-'97. It works great and has served me for many years. My friend Peter Fuller from England had a lot of fun shooting it. When we were in Bowling Green, KY for class. When he retired, went back to University and got his Masters so he could volunteer at the Leeds. Just a good friend, now pasted but his heart was the best for early firearms. Later,Hank

 

[Rudyard]

Leeds RA I presume ? Purpose built monument to the glory of historic arms. Well worth a visit & free entry .It was offered to be built in Sheffield but the largley Communist Council refused to have any truck with guns or any such . I years ago voted with my feet but I was born there. When the City Museum wont allow the guns they have to be displayed & a collection of Goss ornaments is disallowed its Goss porcelain cannon ,tanks or Zeppelins while flying the Red flag most days you know their anti gun. Rudyard

 

[rickystl]

Dear Rick . While you show a narrower Moroccan lock the one above is more typical of the majority Definatly on the massive side . Their where also a great many locks made in Europe for the NA / Moroccan trade or used to redeem captives perhaps your slim one is one of these .
Regards Rudyard

Hi Rudyard

English Snaphaunce Lock: Yes, that TRS copy is HUGH. And yes, it is more representative of the original European snaphaunce. I suspect that locks made during this original period were made large due to the fact that it was probably easier to make large parts versus small parts. And easier to maintenance and make repair parts. You see this with other locks from about the 1580-1650 period.
Moroccan Lock Variation: I had some interesting email correspondence with Brian Godwin a few years ago on this very subject. By about 1650 (probably even 1630-40) flintlocks in one form or another were being produced all over parts of Europe. The English Civil War(s) probably helped this along. It's not only conceivable, but probable that the snaphaunce lock from England and the Netherlands found it's way to North Africa/Morocco. What's curious is, that not a single specimen of this lock has turned up that can actually be authenticated as a "made for export" snaphaunce lock to this Region. Which is strange considering the snaphaunce lock's continued use in Morocco for near 200 years. So the current thinking is that it was likely that the Moroccan gunsmiths started making their own, local variation of the snaphaunce early on. With the narrow lock plates made to conform with their slender gun stock styles.

Rick

 

[Rudyard]

Dear Rick . Despite the stocks of Moroccan guns tending to be thin the locks are generally massive in proportion There are regional styles some not as chunky or conversely as slim as others .The Export locks probably had no makers names though there are some very alike which suggests the begrudged exports feature a large round light pan ending and relatively spindly lock would seem likely these .The feature of a pan cover that can cover the prime at cock at rest like the slim one you show .While the general run of native product seems not to have this provision .The lock illustrated in Greener's ' The Gun & its development 'Illustrates a S hance lock made by Moroccan makers in Greener's factory in from memory 1880s Big chunky affair per typical . Iv'e looked at a lot of these, I even gave flints to a Bedoin who used one . I am quite happy to be prouven wrong but beleive what I relate is most likely .
Regards Rudyard

 

[WRussell]

The sear spring pushes the primary sear into place, holding the cock in full-cock position, when the cock is pulled back, but then the secondary sear snags the primary sear and holds it in place. The trigger bears against the arm of the secondary sear and pushes it back so it releases the primary sear, which is then pushed back through the lockplate against the far weaker primary sear spring by the force of the mainspring.
There's a description on Wikipedia of how the sear works on a wheellock:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WheellockThis may help illuminate things.
The entry for Snaphance doesn't talk about how the sears work. This should be remedied. BTW the animated image of a snaphance sparking is from me.

 

[jimhallam]

Leeds RA I presume ? Purpose built monument to the glory of historic arms. Well worth a visit & free entry .It was offered to be built in Sheffield but the largley Communist Council refused to have any truck with guns or any such . I years ago voted with my feet but I was born there. When the City Museum wont allow the guns they have to be displayed & a collection of Goss ornaments is disallowed its Goss porcelain cannon ,tanks or Zeppelins while flying the Red flag most days you know their anti gun. Rudyard

It's the same in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. My twin brother was Curator of the "Museum of Science and Technology" (now trendily called "The Newcastle Experience"). They had (?still have?) a large collection of firearms which came from Vickers / Elswick Ordnance, including a Whitworth with sections cut showing the breech and rifling. After Dunblane I was able to select nearly 100 pistols / revolvers for their collection from the firearms from the "hand-in" which were stored at the Tower of London, justifying them as "Illustrating mechanical principles". NONE of these are on show --- the only guns to be seen are in the Joicey Art Gallery -- fancy wheel-locks etc.

I am told that the same applies to Birmingham, the cradle of the British gunmaking industry.