Spanish Long Gun Finished

[spudnut]

Very cool,wanted one in smoothbore since I read" Flintlock Larrebees" story in Muzzleloader magazine years ago

 

[Neil Murray]

Nice!

 

[viking2]

very nice and unique.
Thanks for posting.

 

[DaveC]

Estupendo! That is a fantastic escopeta with Catalan-style/Ripoll stock!

Your pictures made my May! Bravo!
In San Antonio, there was just the 300th anniversary last year of the founding of the Presidio back in 1718, and there was a flurry of interest in the Miquelet and the escopeta (Texianized into the word "scuppet" just as vaquero became buckaroo!) Of course, no one makes these apart from the Rifle Shoppe. Loyalist Arms does a reproduction every now and then, mostly for pirate aficionados.

Here is a little something I wrote up, based on the publications of Sidney B. Brinckerhoff, Pierce A. Chamberlain, and Odie B. Faulk and Laura E. Frank:

Escopeta—This single-shot, muzzle-loading, smooth bore weapon fired single lead balls or multiple projectiles like a musket or shotgun. While inaccurate, it was versatile. Three elements are distinctive: i) the so-called Llave de patilla or miquelet lock, which was a robust, sturdy flint-lock mechanism, but with the operating spring on the exterior of the mechanism, ii) the Catalan stock, with its characteristic long toe at the bottom of the butt, and with a half butt-plate, usually of iron, that covered only the heel of the stock, and iii) the long trigger guard that formed a grip beneath the wooden wrist of the stock.

In the early 1700s, this was simply the first pattern of Spanish infantry fusil, a regulation arm that was issued to all troops in New Spain. Caliber ranged typically from 12 to-the-pound to 16 to-the-pound (12 gauge or .72 caliber/18.5mm to 16 gauge, .69/17mm), the octagon-to-round barrel was 39 inches long, and the overall length was 54-1/2 inches long. However, over time, these became cut down for ease of use on horseback, and were crudely re-stocked locally by presidial armorers. Some were even repaired like Indian weapons, with rawhide shrunk around a split or break to hold the pieces together.

A typical escopeta carried in a “funda” or “ord” gun-sack across the saddle bow would vary in length from approximately 48-1/2in. to 46-1/2in. long, with a 33 to 33-1/2 inch barrel, weighing about 7lbs. Some shorter models had belt hooks so they could be worn at the waist much like a brace of pistols, held up by a belt or sash. Many soldiers, and even more settlers subject to militia service carried the Trabuco or blunderbuss. This common frontier weapon resembled the escopeta in most Ripoll Catalunya pattern characteristics—Catalan stock, finger grip and trigger guard, miquelet lock, but with a barrel flared at the muzzle, and approximately 23-1/8 inches long, for an overall length of 37-1/4inches, weighing about six pounds. The bell-shaped muzzle was often about 1-1/3rd inches across the .72 to .69 caliber smooth bore. By the late 18th century, French pattern firearms such as the Model 1752 fusil with a French flintlock mechanism became much more in evidence, although the older miquelet pattern remained in use, and was actually favored as more robustly built and thus more reliable. At the turn of the 19th century, the miquelet lock was even reintroduced on regulation muskets for a time. During the Napoleonic period, when Spanish forces in Europe fought in the Peninsular War, most Spaniards used imported British Tower muskets, and so it is debatable just how many later model, post 1752 pattern Spanish-made weapons made it to the New World during the Wars of Independence period.

Cartuchera or ventral cartridge box—The soldier wore a broad leather belt that held a curved cartridge box across his midriff over his uniform or leather jack. Most were constructed of wood, with appropriate sized holes for the cartridge tubes bored in the top, with a leather covering with a flap. The smallest had only nine holes for nine cartridges, and was approximately 9 ¼-in long x 3-3/8 inches high x 1-in. in depth. Far more common were cartridge boxes with 21 holes, about 11-in. to 1 ft. across, x 3-1/2in. high x 2-1/2inches in depth. The exteriors of the cartridge box flap were decorated, sometimes with paint or pigment, and at other times embossed.

Estuche or powder flask—Lastly, it should be noted that a very archaic-looking powder flask was in common use in New Spain and the frontier provinces. This estuche flask made of wood covered with green felt within an iron frame held bulk powder, with a charger spout at the top to measure it out. This very dated-looking implement was slab-sided on the front and back, but curved in a concave shape to either side. The charger spout was 4-inches, while the estuche itself was approximately 7-1/2-inches high, and about 9-1/2 inches wide at the base. It had a belt or sash hook on the side so it could be carried at the waist, and a tan leather shoulder strap so it could be worn over the shoulder. Some powder horns typical to early black powder portage, made from bovine cattle horn, also appear in the archaeological record.

 

[rickystl]

Well, once again, thank you ALL for your replies. Much appreciated.

DaveC: That's an interesting write up. Thanks for posting. Some additional interesting/curious notes on Spanish long guns from this period:
With the exception of the Pattern 1752 infantry musket, you rarely encounter a Spanish long gun either military or civilian with a barrel longer than about 41". Also, you never see one with a rifled barrel, even the sporting guns. (Actually, I did see one. But the barrel was Ottoman/Turkish made). Guess the Spanish didn't have much use for rifled barrels (?) LOL
The Trabuco (blunderbuss) remained popular in Spain all the way through the percussion era. Seems that many were converted to percussion and kept for personal protection.
The Spanish seemed almost obsessed with the use of belt hooks. You see them more often than not on pistols and escopetas. I've seen them on pistols back to the mid 17th Century.

Rick

 

[2PawsRiver]

Beautiful stuff