1770 Spanish escopeta miquelet lock musket

[Mcat]

I got this musket at an online auction in Ontario several weeks ago. It was delivered by the auction house yesterday in person since Canada Post is enduring a lengthy strike.

The description from the auction site is as follows

Description

Spanish. Last quarter 18th century. The part-octagon part-round barrel is 37.75" long, swamped at the muzzle to approximately .70 calibre. The barrel is stamped with a maker's mark and shows a decorative silver inlay around the foresight. The tang, lock and side plate are engraved or chiselled. The name on the lock appears to be ERNARO. This type of firearm was in common use in the Spanish colonial areas of North America. Stamped, in 4 places near the stock on barrel. Engraved, on the side strike plate.

Condition

The firearm shows an overall worn appearance, commensurate with its age. The barrel and steel furniture show light pitting. The Catalan-style walnut stock shows light contact marks and a crack in the bottom of the butt. There is some wood loss for about 9 inches along one side of the barrel near the muzzle. The miquelet lock is in working condition.

All is as described. I took the lock off today and oiled and photographed it and oiled the bore. Google search on Ernaro brings up a populated site in East Timor as the only hit. I believe it was a Portuguese colony back in the day. The date on the lock is 1770. There is a bit of gold left in the barrel stamps and on one barrel ring. There is a front sight but no back site. Everything appears original to me. The lock is strong with engraving on the bottom. There is no half cock.

 

[springfield art]

Interesting! There does seem to be a small hotbed of interest in these; even the word "escopeta" rolls off the tongue easily!

 

[Rudyard]

I got this musket at an online auction in Ontario several weeks ago. It was delivered by the auction house yesterday in person since Canada Post is enduring a lengthy strike.

The description from the auction site is as follows

Description

Spanish. Last quarter 18th century. The part-octagon part-round barrel is 37.75" long, swamped at the muzzle to approximately .70 calibre. The barrel is stamped with a maker's mark and shows a decorative silver inlay around the foresight. The tang, lock and side plate are engraved or chiselled. The name on the lock appears to be ERNARO. This type of firearm was in common use in the Spanish colonial areas of North America. Stamped, in 4 places near the stock on barrel. Engraved, on the side strike plate.

Condition

The firearm shows an overall worn appearance, commensurate with its age. The barrel and steel furniture show light pitting. The Catalan-style walnut stock shows light contact marks and a crack in the bottom of the butt. There is some wood loss for about 9 inches along one side of the barrel near the muzzle. The miquelet lock is in working condition.

All is as described. I took the lock off today and oiled and photographed it and oiled the bore. Google search on Ernaro brings up a populated site in East Timor as the only hit. I believe it was a Portuguese colony back in the day. The date on the lock is 1770. There is a bit of gold left in the barrel stamps and on one barrel ring. There is a front sight but no back site. Everything appears original to me. The lock is strong with engraving on the bottom. There is no half cock.

Portugues Timor was still a long held colony I travelled through in 1969.Didnt seem as if Portugal Did much in the 400 years !. old fort & a Saw mill was all I recall. Curious you say no half cock the blade like ;Patilla; / Foot should sit in a deep notch like an axe in a log very safe until drawn to Full cock a thin blade like protrusion its a spring edge .Looks like a very interesting gun ,Bachou & Ocussy had their own Escudo coins .All gone when Indonesia invaded in a forced land grab .about 28 ?years ago UN Peace keepers got messy . I remember Dllly & Kupang & trying to buy a fishing boat collectively but they wanted more cows than we travellors had .Shucks ! . But I did see just such a ' hand & Eye' vessel in an American port so some game person had bought one years ago By hand & Eye I mean NO plans hardly a iron part in it lots of trenalls & Bamboo pipes. ." They done need no estinkin plans !".
Regard,s Rudyard

 

[Mcat]

Here is a short video of the gun with a flint firing and a photo of the hammer jaws and flint. I put my largest flint in a lead wrap and clamped it down to show enough flint to spark, but there is a very large space back to the jaw screw. Does anyone know how this was set up traditionally? The frizzen has the perfectly dove tailed grooved striker which really does work well after 250 years.

 

[Rudyard]

Well some similar locks like the Algerian' Moukala' a sort of Miguelet had layers of backing round the' cock pin' ( tightening screw ) so some thing of the sort might be what your lock had cant hurt to try .
Regards Rudyard