Building Matchlock smoothbore

[Leonredbeard]

Pitchy,
Well, I went to the public range this morning. Before I left I made sure I had some hemp cord in the shooting box. I saw the short piece of nitrated cotton cord laying on the workbench but thought I didn't need it. After all, they say hemp is the best, it doesn't need to be nitrated. I had tried a piece and was pleased at the way it kept burning, etc.
Well! somewhere along the way it picked up some moisture. I couldn't keep it burning. I would get a nice hot coal on the end but till I put it in the dog and leveled the gonne to shoot it wasn't hot enough to light my prime. This prime came out of the horn full that was lighting my flinter at about 99.999% of the time. It even let a spot of ash laying on top of the prime.
The range was too far away to drive back for nitrated cotton cord and go back so I gave it up.
I can safely, but not legally, fired it off in the mother in law's back yard with the cotton cord. I know it works because I tested the lock with it a long time ago. I will try to pull the load first. If that doesn't work then maybe stick the muzzle through a box with some crumpled up newspaper as a silencer and blow it into the big pile of limbs and weeds growing in the back acre. As a last resort, of course, the ball is pretty tight. I should have tried just firing off a charge of powder first before loading a ball. Oh Well!.....
volatpluvia

 

[bioprof]

Volatpluvia,

Looks like your matchlock is coming along very well. I really like the shape and the lines. I hope you are able to get it finished soon.

Tim

 

[PitchyPine]

Bummer, i`ve had that happen with the cotton cord also if i don`t blow on it enough.
It can sit there right on the powder and not go off. :shake:

 

[bingo1952]

That is why a little nitre helps a lot. That little bit of sputter you get tends to light off the prime quicker than un-nitrated cord.

 

[Leonredbeard]

Thanks Gents,
It is a gonne now. By 2:30 this afternoon I couldn't stand it anymore. Two tries to pull the load failed. So I picked up the short piece of cotton nitrated match and headed for the range. Now this is a public range. The only other single shot that was being fired was a TC contender in 30-30. ALL the rest were assault rifles and one very modern auto handgun. So I sucked it up and acted like I was just another dude at the range. After all I was shooting what could be a 15th century assault weapon! Several gents took notice of my strange firearm and I had the pleasure of showing it off a little.
It occurs to me that I never posted a full length pic of the gonne so here is one.

I got off four shots with the short match. First two shots with 50 grns 3fg and patched roundball. I shot them at the NMLRA monthly target at fifty yards and missed. There was no 25 yard range This was offhand. Then I decided to shoot at an abandoned target that was three times as large and upped the charge to 70 grns. I hit that target once. I suspect it was the first shot. The match was so small by that time that my hands shook trying to install it in the dog. The gonne shook while I tried to fire. I don't know why but that burning match scares the heebie jeebies out of me. Oh, well, I will conquer it.
Here is a pic of the target.

volatpluvia

 

[bingo1952]

You know that old saying; Try Try Try again. 1 out of 3 ain't to bad.

 

[bingo1952]

A question; is yours a snap lock or a simple lever setup?

 

[Leonredbeard]

runball,
It is a simple lever set up. Because I did my own thing inide the trigger pushes the lever both ways, but I still need a return spring for safety.
I found that out today experientially. I mounted the match, pulled the pan cover aside and went to position my shooting hand while bringing the gonne up to firing position and the pan poofed. happilly it was a flash in the pan or I would have had a premature fire. A triggerguard would help as well.
volatpluvia

 

[PitchyPine]

runball,
It is a simple lever set up. Because I did my own thing inide the trigger pushes the lever both ways, but I still need a return spring for safety.
I found that out today experientially. I mounted the match, pulled the pan cover aside and went to position my shooting hand while bringing the gonne up to firing position and the pan poofed. happilly it was a flash in the pan or I would have had a premature fire. A triggerguard would help as well.
volatpluvia

I did that very thing with my auto opining pan and it now has a saftey on it. :redface:

 

[tmdreb]

I have to say, that's a really beautiful gun. That stock is just gorgeous. I love the color and the contours.

 

[Leonredbeard]

Pitchy Pine,
Hmmnnn. A safety sounds good. I'll have to think about that.

tmdreb,
Thanks, my most favorite color is red. The grain coming out like that is really satisfying especially since I didn't expect it to be there.
volatpluvia

 

[PitchyPine]

Pitchy Pine,
Hmmnnn. A safety sounds good. I'll have to think about that.

tmdreb,
Thanks, my most favorite color is red. The grain coming out like that is really satisfying especially since I didn't expect it to be there.
volatpluvia

I don`t think you need a saftey with the pan cover, ya just gotta remember to keep it closed until ya shoulder the gun and ready to fire. Mine was always a hazzard so it needed a saftey.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

Volatpulvia, The oil in your hands will cut down the temp of the nitrated match so it will not ignite the prime. Also with the sear leaver, if your match is not hot enough it will just go down into the prime and fizzle. The key to this problem is to re accuire your sight picture, and slowly let off the sear leaver. When the smouldering match rises off the prime, the rush of air will set the ignition in motion. I used this trick many years ago when I shot matchlocks in competition. I used to carry a small pair of sissors and cut off 1 inch of the soiled end of the match. Do not wear a polyester shirt or your favorite primitive shirt! :thumbsup:
That is a fine looking matchlock!

 

[Leonredbeard]

Hey, grzrb,
Great to hear from you! How is the redhariedgal? I miss her, hee hee. Thanks for the kind words about the new matchlock.
Understand, the hemp cord was not nitrated. A serious footage of it is now. I soaked it overnight and dried it in the sun today. I dazzled my 2 year old grandson by lighting it and setting off several pans of prime with it. It now burns at about 7 inches per hour. I plan to go back to the range in the morning.
BTW: My wife bought me some food grade potasium nitrate at the supermarket in the spice aisle. It wasn't any more expensive than what I saw on the internet and I didn't have to pay shipping.
volatpluvia

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

Volatpulvia, I have a some pictures of the Widowmakers shooting the Redhaired Gal at Friendship in June. This was the chirt experement.
PT me your current address and I will mail them up to you.

Had something weird happen to the Redhaired Gal's mainspring. About an inch from the sturrips all of the temper went out and it bent there. I showed it to a couple of local muzzle loading gunsmiths and they had never seen anything like it. Anyway the Rifle Shoppe is sending another mainspring and one of the gunsmiths is going to make a spare spring.

In an attempt to prevent fouling from freezing up the wheel after 5 shots, I coated the wheel well
and wheel with tallow.( Just like I do with the Ferguson ) With the lubrication the wheel actually spins further... and slings the mainspring off!!!!

So it is back to square one when I get the mainsprings back. Ain't wheellocks fun!!!

Grizz

 

[Leonredbeard]

Wow, grzrb!
All that time I had it (5 years) and hundreds, maybe a thousand wind ups, it never did that. Well, I'm glad you can get replacements. Maybe your blacksmith could make me a few springs. And yes, wheellocks are a lot of fun.

Now, matchlocks on the other hand. I took my newly nitrated hempcord to the range today. I am grateful for your advice yesterday as it happened just as you said. I had to cut off the cord and start over about every three to four shots. I would have been quite frustrated if you had not told me about the dirt and oil. I had three gents come over and admire and chat. The shooting went quite well as you will see in the picture.

The two shots in front of the leg and under the brisket I had my eye too low above the breech. And obviously I was too far across the top of the comb.

So for the third and fourth shot I adjusted my sight picture. Then shot and oops for the fifth. The 6th, 7th and 8th were after another small change hold. The 8th was another oops. Then I switched to 70 grs 3fg from 80 grs. 2fg. So 9, 10, and 11 went real low with the same hold. So back to 2fg. so 13 (should be labeled 12) went into the heart again. All these shots were sitting with elbows on the bench with target at 50 yards.

Then I stood up. So twelve (should be labeled 13) went low and I think 14 went off the bottom of the target.

volatpluvia

 

[PitchyPine]

Stop it, your having to much fun. :haha: Glad ya got her going and shootin. :thumbsup:

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

Volatpulvia, I am glad I got my advice in, in time to help you. Otherwise there would be some
discouraging words on the site today! Besides the oil in your hands, the explosion coats the first inch or so of the match cord with fowling which dosent burn very well. I once tried using thin
white cloth gloves while loading. This seemed to improve the process if you put on new gloves when the other pair get dirty. I actually stoped doing this because ..... it looks silly loading and firing a 15th century gonne... with white gloves!!
:rotf:

 

[Leonredbeard]

I want to shoot her tomorrow. I wanted to see if a sight would make it easier to shoot her consistantly. So I whipped up this today. It made me very happy to attach it with the tang screw and not drill any more holes in the tang.

volatpluvia

 

[PitchyPine]

Should see a target with one big hole in it :grin: