Early 1500s Snapping Matchlock carbine

Here’s another gem handcrafted by the noted gunsmith and blacksmith, Brian Anderson, who hails from from VT. It is a 58-cal rifled carbine with a 24” barrel. The ‘button’ to the left of the serpentine functions as the ‘trigger’.

Stocked in cherry, it is a joy to shoulder! Although as a lefty I need to curl a finger down and back up around the wrist, akin to playing on the neck of a guitar, albeit the hand is positioned upside-down as compared to the guitar, in order to hit the button.

Can’t wait to shoot her this upcoming weekend at my Club’s annual Spring shoot!

How much does she weigh? I would like to shoot a matchlock.

That's very nice work, Flint!
It lacks the machine cut looks, which makes something look right or wrong. Brian did a grand job!
Now you need to go gather some of those horseshoe mushrooms from the sides of birch or poplar trees, dry them naturally, like in a sunlit window, and cut them into strips for match.
These as you know were called Swamples lit in Swedish. Mushroom lock! They work awful well, and
don't need charring or anything. you need the part of the 'mushroom' that looks like cork.
It will be Very fast ignition with fine powder in the pan!
Tell Brian Congrats, and tell yourself Congrtas too!!

Richard.

PS,
I made another barrel for another one of these, but that's as far as I got
up to now.! about same length as yours, but .60 cal. smooth .

WOW!! Nice catch Flint. I agree with Richard on the looks. Very early variety. Congrats.

Rick

Thanks guys!

Regretfully ... I must inform all that Brian is retiring from fulltime building. He'll still do repairs or odd 'small' jobs here & there to keep busy and tinker life away, but I'm not sure we'll get any other nice complete builds from him ... sniff, sniff, whaaaaaahhhh

I made a copy of the 'Behame gun' now in the Hermatige Museum St Petersburg it, s button is at the front per that engraveing of men shooting such pieces in Bassel .Also I made that style Brian has too . They are very scientific you need a reject fence post ,an axe ,scraper a,dull pocket knife & a wet weekend . and your off . .Ime being a bi levitus but they are definatly not high art . Ime tempted to make you a L Hander with a wooden barrel to the specks of any barrel you can get over there this can post as a prop and might be the way to beat the anti gun nonsense that currently prevails .Pukka knows his matchlocks it was Matchlocks that brought us together I had written an article in' Muzzle Loader Magazine' entitled 'Observations on the more arcaic locks' November 1995 issue . It was in a re enactment context . Pukka read it and was inspired by my observation re ignitions & I wrote 'But the palm for relibility must ever be reserved for the matchlock' a rather bold statement but Pukka tried to trace me as he was inspired by the idea .It was me selling a Venietion Snap matchlock to a friend of his in Spokane ((It was old stock sitting in Virginia ) that he connected & wev'e got on famously ever since . There is a Video put out by Alberta Muzzle loaders shewing their annual shoot I got to shoot at one . But ' Pommy B ' bought the M lock & a sepparet video shows him & Pukka shooting them you can even see the signiture .I made a lot of snap matchlocks for competition shooters of MLAIC events . Don't you wish these E gajets could spell ?
. Regards Rudyard

Cool, always LOVE and appreciate your info and stories that go along with it Maurice!

Flint62Smoothie said:

Thanks guys!

Regretfully ... I must inform all that Brian is retiring from fulltime building. He'll still do repairs or odd 'small' jobs here & there to keep busy and tinker life away, but I'm not sure we'll get any other nice complete builds from him ... sniff, sniff, whaaaaaahhhh

Click to expand...

Although I cannot argue with a well-deserved retirement, it is surely a loss. I have the utmost respect for him and his work.

Brian Anderson doesn’t seem to be taking work, or at least isn’t answering emails.

Has anyone heard from him lately? Is he okay?

a beauty.

Smokey Plainsman said:

Brian Anderson doesn’t seem to be taking work, or at least isn’t answering emails.

Has anyone heard from him lately? Is he okay?

Click to expand...

I just saw Brian this past Saturday and he is well! He will continue to 'tinker' and perhaps make repairs on arms as people may need, but will otherwise he will live a well earned retirement.

Flint62Smoothie said:

I just saw Brian this past Saturday and he is well! He will continue to 'tinker' and perhaps make repairs on arms as people may need, but will otherwise he will live a well earned retirement.

Click to expand...

Just letting others know so he isn’t pestered.

Flint62Smoothie said:

Thanks guys!

Regretfully ... I must inform all that Brian is retiring from fulltime building. He'll still do repairs or odd 'small' jobs here & there to keep busy and tinker life away, but I'm not sure we'll get any other nice complete builds from him ... sniff, sniff, whaaaaaahhhh

Click to expand...

POUT But thanks Flint for the heads-up. Brian just advised me that my Spanish Military Escopeta will be ready to ship soon. Sounds like I will own one of the last, complete guns he will build. I feel lucky in that regard.
Brian has that unique combination of abilities: Gun builder/lock maker/Master Blacksmith. He has an intimate understanding of the early locks and how they functioned. That combination skill set is not around every corner.
Anyway, a well deserved retirement, for a heck of a gentleman.

Rick

Just to inform everyone ... if you need future blacksmith and/or gunsmith services, one can also contact Jeff Miller of The Flintlock Forge (down Maine), see more info here:

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/gunsmith-blacksmith-services-for-older-arms.144673/

Well this short little 24”carbine sure wants to shoot! My 1st shot with a cold/clean bore was out to the left, but I put the next 2 right into the same hole touching!

This was 25-yards offhand, using a 60-grain charge of 3Fg under a 17-thou pillow ticking patch, lubed w/ Hoppe’s BP patch lube & a 570 ball. The aiming spot is supposed to be the size of an old half dollar.

And of course, everyone wanted to try it …

Did the match go out or stay lit after firing? And what is your match made of if you don't mind. Thanks

russellshaffer said:

Did the match go out or stay lit after firing?

Click to expand...

I only had it extinguish once when firing and we fired it about a dozen times. I will say it does fly out of the serpentine, which is why when you say historic drawings, the cord is wrapped around the stock behind the action.

And what is your match made of if you don't mind.

Click to expand...

I did not make this cord, but it is made out of what appears to be a 100% cotton rope like a clothesline rope, but nothing fake and no nylon inside fibers.

Pictures & a short video (if it loads) … INSTANT ignition! Here I am instructing someone trying it, who was dying to shoot it … & now they want a matchlock!

Yes, they are instant Flint!
Susan Wallace used to stock hemp rope,(Silver Shuttle, Memphis TNN) a bit thin maybe, but it works perfectly when treated!
Do try the tree fungus though.
These early guns were called tinder locks or mushroom locks, and in old paintings you will see a short stiff piece of tinder in the serpent, rather than the later twine wrapped around the stock or soldier's arm.
Match cord Was kept lit, but this was used to light the one -shot-only tinder.

that is fast ignition