My Matchlocks

I was waiting until I had video of my second Matchlock to make this post, and now I have it.

I made the following Matchlock in October 2009, it has a Colerain .75 cal smoothbore barrel. The barrel was the only part I bought ready made, everything else was made from scratch. It is 5' 6" long and weighs around 8 or 9 pounds.



A link to the youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuyTCsSaRBs

For my second I got a little ambitious and got The Rifle Shoppe's English Wall Gun barrel with the 1" bore and built a Matchlock around it.
This one is a full 6 feet long and weighs 26.5 pounds. The lock is based on a drawing of a lock I found on Google.



And the youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvhq2U_DzEw

I have some more Matchlocks in the works, the current project is a Snapping Matchlock, but I also plan on making a Tanegashima. That is if I don't make a crossbow instead. :grin:

This lock has been lots of fun to make, the main spring is from an old garden rake. This one is also based on a picture of an original lock I found on Google awhile ago.



I'm still not sure which I enjoy more, making them or firing them.
I'm also willing to share patterns for the locks and various parts with anyone who is interested in using them so feel free ask.

Very cool guns and nice work!
Question: how much powder are you using in the 1" Matchlock? Looks to be a heavy load! :thumbsup:

Nice work!

:hatsoff: nice

It was loaded with 240 grains of FFg, it definitely takes some getting used to but it puts that ball where you aim it without fail.
It's just a matter of controlling the weight and trying not to cower in anticipation of the recoil. :haha:

It is proposed that you at work the next time he avoided the draft electric welding machine work!
Experience Locksmith useful to you in structures and constructions wheellock flontlock!, I am convinced that for the short time you begin work on these systems!

We would like to Yours!

Bolek

Raptor: You have some wonderful talent. Both of your gonnes are beautifully crafted, and your YouTube clips are very well shot and edited.I'm going to watch them over and over as I, too, hope to build a matchlock. Hope you find this forum to your liking and post some more. What a treat!

P.S. So a garden rake is a good source of spring steel? I'm looking for some 1075 to practice on as the heat treat is so forgiving for a learner ...

I tend to only post when I have something to add, and as I am still new to black powder shooting I don't have a whole lot to add to the conversation just yet.

The rake I used was really only bought for it's handle originally. The head itself had some heavy wire on the back of the rake that I've found to be nice material. I'm always on the lookout for good spring metal, in the two Matchlocks pictured above I actually used a piece of a leaf spring to make the springs.
Doesn't really matter how I temper those leaf springs though, they don't like high compression and tend to deform fairly easily. Not a problem in a matchlock mechanism but if you were building a Snapping matchlock it becomes an issue.
Those leaf springs make good knives though.

On the other hand the wire taken from the back of the rake tolerates the high compression admirably, the only downside is it's not big enough to make a larger spring even after being forged flat.

RR_Raptor65 said:

It was loaded with 240 grains of FFg, it definitely takes some getting used to but it puts that ball where you aim it without fail.
It's just a matter of controlling the weight and trying not to cower in anticipation of the recoil. :haha:

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All I have to say is, WOW!
The most I've fired in my 4Ga Blunderbuss is about 100 grns. But it's small and light. That big one will handle that load fine. Have you fired it with less powder and tried it? Like a 150-175 grn load?
I really like the video and the gun is fine!

I have a question about the sear bar on your snapping matchlock. On most firearms, the trigger pushes upward on the sear bar to make it fire. On your snapping matchlock, it looks like the trigger would have to push the sear bar towards the outside of the lock plate. Am I correct on this? If so, what kind of trigger arrangement do you use? I'm just trying to understand how it works.

Nice job on the completed matchlocks by the way. :thumbsup: Can't wait to see the video of the 1" bore matchlock.

They are very nice :thumbsup:

:bow: :bow: :bow:
Very nice. I really like the little action, I saw one somewhere and now
can’t find it.

“I'm still not sure which I enjoy more, making them or firing them.”

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In my case it would be making them. but I do love to shoot.

“I'm also willing to share patterns for the locks and various parts with anyone who is interested in using them so feel free ask.”

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So... yes please do, I would also like to have a Tanegashima too.

PT sent

Thanks for posting.




Tinker2

Very NICE builds. I especially liked the ending of the second vid. :thumbsup:

AZ Longrifle said:

That big one will handle that load fine. Have you fired it with less powder and tried it? Like a 150-175 grn load?

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I only loaded it with the 240 grain measurement that day because I was using paper cartridges to save having to measure each load. I'm really looking forward to going out and getting better acquainted with it, so some experimenting is in order.
I did fire one load of .457 tri-ball buckshot out of it that day, I didn't hit anything but I'm pretty sure that was my fault. It's quite different from any other kind of gun I've ever fired.

My .75 cal really seems to like 80 grains of powder, and with such a load it offers very little recoil and little more than a deep thump when fired. It would be easy to mistake the sound for a potato cannon if not for all the fire and smoke. :haha:
Some have suggested using 150 grains of powder for the .75 but I haven't seen the point in doing so, that gun will hit whatever I point it at without fail with just 80 grains, which tends to shock a lot of the local rifle shooters who are used to hearing about the inaccuracy of smoothbores.

I have a question about the sear bar on your snapping matchlock. On most firearms, the trigger pushes upward on the sear bar to make it fire. On your snapping matchlock, it looks like the trigger would have to push the sear bar towards the outside of the lock plate. Am I correct on this? If so, what kind of trigger arrangement do you use? I'm just trying to understand how it works.

Click to expand...

This gave me a bit of trouble at first and I went through the trouble of inventing a two piece sear. But as it turns out the solution was far more simple.
As you can see the sear has a long tail which is partially hook shaped. The trigger is pinned high above the lock and pivots backward and pushes the sear out of the way, but I have also seen sears with straight angled tails. I expect the hook shape of the sear is simply to minimize the trigger pull. Here is a picture of a Tanegashima with the same mechanism to help give a clearer picture:

RR Raptor65:

Beautiful work! :applause:

Shooting a Matchlock is just something else. Enjoy your girls for years to come!

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

I like them, great job,
Nice video

RR Raptor65 That is one impressive gun! You mentioned that you would be willing to share the plans you used for its construction I am definitely interested in a copy. Leonard Day is building me a matchlock musket and he and I have talked about Wall Guns like the one you built there construction and uses etc. Seems they were used in a light artillery capacity. That must have been devastating to be on the receiving end of one of those guns.

Thanks for posting the pics and the YouTube video is fantastic as well.

wow- great guns, and great vids, too!

Wall guns were often used as long range sniper rifles to keep artillery crews away from their pieces. A 1" ball will ruin someones day at 200 yards or more especially if it hits the cannon and fragments.

Friends have shot a 1" wall gun at 200 yards into a bank and had to dig more than 18" to find the ball.

Your .75 is basically the same bore as a Brown Bess. There is no reason to use more than 90 grains in a .75 shoulder arm.

Many Klatch

Many Klatch

Speaking of recovering the lead, I think I'll have to make a target capable of capturing the shots fired from that thing. It's easy to fire lots of lead very quickly with that beast.

I finally got around to making a brass scouring rod tip to fit the bore a bit better than the bare wood tip for the .75 today, I think I may take it out and give it a proper test tomorrow.