Archaic arms, created by Rudyard.

[Pukka Bundook]

Gents,
I didn't know what to call this thread, but received some pohotos of Rudyard's work, and very nice too!
(Yes, I have seen them before but never shown here until now.)
I will l

et our Rudyard tell you about them.
Here are the photos;

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Sorry they came out in reverse order Rudyard...

 

[Rudyard]

Thank you Pukka they seem a bit blurred . I'ed best explain them in reverse order. The snap Match lock is based on the Behaim gun housed in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.dated circa 1510 it has the stock itself forming the' lock plate' the trigger being the button pushed in by the fingers of the left hand similar to drawings of shooters housed in the Basle Museum . not in practice the handiest position as the bone studs may indicate. A 40 cal very much 'After' the original save for my inscribed shield of bone the original bears the arms of that family of merchants . My 'Arms' simply a hitching thumb with' Astra ,Castra, Numen , Lumen'. Loosley translates to ". The stars my camp , Providence my guide "( Got it of a Traction Engine seemed fitting ..) The stock is Miro .not shown is the dragon muzzle.The unfinished external wheellock is just plain' stock' . the wood is Mullberry tree . The Maple stock Wheellock it a copy of a friends of 45 cal and well used about 45 years old now inlays stag & ivorys . butt plate & knob being horn . Lowest is a short carbine copied from an old piece I fancied at F ship one time . The lock plate. cock ,steel & feather spring cost me a song, quite literally ("Oh don't sell our Edgar no more violins") from the ever humerous Jim Chambers the stock practically given me by Wayne Lepley rejected due to a minor crack ( now obscured under the tool box lid). Very nice dense wood . The barrel kindly given me by Harrison Rimmer of Montana/ Orien Barrels its 1 in 16 " pitch of 58 cal marked 'Trash' but it suited my purpose and I did pop wild goats . Internally it is late type' English Lock' note the vestigial 'Dog'.. Gentlemen all ! Much relieving the hot dusty weeks at Friendship shoots . The stag flasks are both unfinished . That about covers them Regards Rudyard

 

[bisleyjohn]

I’m drooling! Lovely work, thank you for sharing it.

 

[RAEDWALD]

Lovely work. I am humbled.

 

[dave_person]

Great guns and flasks, Maurice! I love the fox (or dog). I assume mulberry works much like our red maple?

dave

 

[Rudyard]

Not being familiar with red maple I cant say . But mulberry is stringy stuff not an ideal wood Ide say but I had it and I'me a thrifty sort .So far I've stocked it on a 17c blunderbuss, That Wheellock & two lemon butt Scots pistols. Oh and a Wm the Third Dragoon carbine keeping the remainder for a Cape Dutch musket .These last used 'Yellow wood ' & 'Stinkwood' but neither of these woods grow in NZ. The Fox is being persued by the smaller dog but the pic isn't too clear .St George on the stag flask was carved in Alice Springs but never got to finish it ,started it Xmas 1968. Some times we get distracted Ile get round to it one day !. Regards Rudyard

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Grand work Rudyard, and it's comforting to know that you have unfinished projects been on the go as long as some of mine!
I didn't meddle with the photos, they are as they came. Still, we can see the details pretty well!
Been wondering how the spring and stud were fitted inside the stock of the Lockless snap. From underneath? I don't see any cut-outs like we normally see...
I do like your antler foreend caps! V nicely done.

 

[Rudyard]

Dear Pukka No reflection on your transference of pics at all , More my wobbly holding the camera .( One of the flat glass things beloved of teenage girls ).The lock 'Plate' is simply the stock itself. That button to the fore is by its pushing in, it pushes out the flat spring on the other side , linked to the spring is a rod that serves as the scear nose, seen just between the Serpantine pivot and the trigger button it catches the tail of the Serpantine . The smaller item below it is a stud to prevent the over shooting of the tail . The feather is just a make do wedge to lessen the hold on the scear nose (State of the art adjustments ! No documentation just my notion ) The trigger button rod is enlarged as it clears the opposite end so it dos'nt fall out . The only underside feature is the hole to stub out the match . This is a cruder plan than the string & set trigger plan. They seem to be pure target and used the fungus coals , Ile post the pages if I hav'nt all ready ? but these are later . Unfinished stuff yes sometimes its years later I complete it . The antler is usualy Chital /Axis deer, or red stag . the Chittal is bi annually shedding so its more solid so good for cutlery work . Thanking you for posting stuff for me . Cheers Me / Rudyard

 

[Feltwad]

Rudyard
First class work old friend we go back many decades to the 70,s although you built many different type of ignitions I think match lock and early flintlocks where the favourite ,Keep up the good work
Feltwad

 

[Rudyard]

Very kind of you all to be so complimentary I do rather like the early or diverse guns not made many percussion .Did make a breech loader a Turn Off Flint rifle. Concluded it was less trouble staying with MLs . Yes we go back a long ways & I'me constantly finding old MLAGB friends and many,I knew from the US & Canada on these forums , All very much Birds of a feather. Wonderfull stuff Regards Rudyard

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Rudyard and Feltwad,
It's grand isn't it? ......all from the same neck of the woods, now spread about the world, but we can keep in touch this way.

Rudyard,
Ah! I see it now! I'd missed that gun at the bottom of the second photo. I see the spring now. Very good.
I was used to seeing that spring on the lock side, or hidden behind a small wooden shield. It had me baffled until I just looked again.
I have a similar fix, a bit of leather, to reduce scear contact on my snap-lock.
Some overall views would be grand as well sometime.
Cheers,
mesel'

 

[IdahoMatt]

Wow! Awesome work! Those are gorgeous.

 

[rickystl]

WOW !!! Stunning. Just wonderful looking early examples. Hat's off to you sir.

Rick

 

[Blogman]

Those are awesome! Simply awesome.

 

[Rudyard]

Well thank you IdahoMatt , Rickysti ,Blogman And Dave C.I don't know what to say other than its just whittle away at the parts that don't look like a gun part , The wheellock with the fox is rifle number 34 of 1978 . But that's only the date it was finished 42 years ago .Ime in the 180s now but only three made Museums . Regards Rudyard

 

[cositrike]

Great work my old friend. I miss seeing you at our rendezvous and hearing your songs. Keep up the good work
Simon

 

[Rudyard]

Dear Simon Yes our R,vous in Darkest Surrey where good . I should give the singing a go probably better money than gun making ! .You have a good singing voice as I recall . I sing all day in the workshop ,dogs don't seem to mind . I speak to them in French & Spanish besides Fanagalore & Zulu best way to remember it. Cheers Rudyard

 

[Heelerau]

Rudyard, what a most interesting bunch of guns, and that is an understatement. I might have solved the problem of getting a good piece of tube locally for my matchlock project. Nice to be able to see just what these much earlier forms of arms can do in the field.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Good on the pipe, Gordon.
These old guns will surprise you in the field, once you get acquainted with them!