Do you shoot old "Originals"?

[Marplot]

Silver Inlaid Japanese Tanegashima Matchlock Arquebus. Made somewhere between 1543 and 1850. Samurai. Silver dragon inlaid with smoke. 41" Octagon Barrel. .52 caliber

Matchlock. Getting ready to try it out. Drying some homemade match cord.

Tanegashima arquebuses, named after the island on which they were introduced by shipwrecked Portuguese explorers in the mid-16th century, were used into the late 19th century, long after matchlock firearms had been replaced by flintlock and percussion arms by Europeans and other western countries. The barrel has a block front sight, a pair of silver inlaid dragons, and a traditional grooved block rear sight. The stock features a mix of brass and silver accents with engraved floral, rabbit, and smoke designs.

 

[2 shots]

AAAHHHRRRGGG! My eyes were exposed to a non muzzleloader!

not true... danial boone had a flintlock trapdoor so they must be real.

 

[Rudyard]

Tanegashima arquebuses, named after the island on which they were introduced by shipwrecked Portuguese explorers in the mid-16th century, were used into the late 19th century, long after matchlock firearms had been replaced by flintlock and percussion arms by Europeans and other western countries. The barrel has a block front sight, a pair of silver inlaid dragons, and a traditional grooved block rear sight. The stock features a mix of brass and silver accents with engraved floral, rabbit, and smoke designs.

I don't think the Portugues where shipwrecked but did flick off a damaged Venetian snap matchlock probably traded it for a geisha girl . & chuckled all the way back to Portugal. Your gun looks great Rudyard's take

 

[wiscoaster]

Do you regularly shoot old original guns? 1700s? 1800s?

I was updating my list of guns over 100 years old just the other day, and I can't post pics here because none of them are muzzleloaders, but yes, I do shoot them. My oldest original is a Springfield 1873 Trapdoor Carbine made in 1877, and I'm reloading 45-70 cartridges with black powder and lead bullets to shoot in it.

 

[Marplot]

Your gun looks great Rudyard's take

Thank you, Rudyard.

 

[garypl]

Silver Inlaid Japanese Tanegashima Matchlock Arquebus. Made somewhere between 1543 and 1850. Samurai. Silver dragon inlaid with smoke. 41" Octagon Barrel. .52 caliber

Matchlock. Getting ready to try it out. Drying some homemade match cord.

You're going to look good in a kimono when you take it out to shoot it Bill!

 

[RobertV]

The amount of speculation about your gun is interesting but not fully understood . Yes its an E I Coy 'Windus pattern' musket the term" third model 'is just a US notion " There is nothing' Ordnance' about that hammer & it is a mystery who put it to percussion perhaps some commercial order .lots being sold off to any one such as the New Zealand Company who bought lots of surplus muskets ( An Estimate of over three million of that pattern being made during the Napoleonic wars if not for just Ordnance & The E I Co) losses & wastage & supplying powers who also apposed Napoleon .such a Some Spanish & Portugues troops probably a breakdown Twix Ordnance ,Trade , (For Volunteers ect ) & the E I Coy who where a Commercial Army in effect . Some where bought from the E I Coy by Ordnance & can be found with a surcharge mark . The Company worked in with Ordnance to a degree but that basic shorter 39" barrel stemmed from the Company.s" Lawrences pattern" &" Coote's Pattern" then" Windus's pattern ' this last being adopted as a war time simplification .of supply .Your musket looks absolutely correct a 'sleeper' but the barrel & conversion are not Ordnance or Company as far as ime aware & going by the cock Ide guess continental work (Europe) trust that helps.

Regards
Rudyard

Thank you very much for the info

 

[OldSmoky1967]

View attachment 331062Hi everyone
I recently bought this Mortimer made India pattern, have anyone come across gun with this markings or know something about it?
Thank you

All I can tell from limited pics are: 1. Post 1840 conversion from flintlock. 2. Possible replacement hammer from a Dog Lock, same era. 3. Probably originally made by EIC from parts (they may have had a dog lock hammer sitting around, when assembled), as has the rear sight like the slightly later Lovell pattern 1842. At that time England let EIC build their own, as parts were scarce after the Tower fire of 1841.

 

[RobertV]

All I can tell from limited pics are: 1. Post 1840 conversion from flintlock. 2. Possible replacement hammer from a Dog Lock, same era. 3. Probably originally made by EIC from parts (they may have had a dog lock hammer sitting around, when assembled), as has the rear sight like the slightly later Lovell pattern 1842. At that time England let EIC build their own, as parts were scarce after the Tower fire of 1841.

Thank you for the info .
Do you think it is more possible that the gun was used by EIC military or that it was traded elsewhere? I'm thinking because of the markings especially the heart logo.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

Thank you for the info .
Do you think it is more possible that the gun was used by EIC military or that it was traded elsewhere? I'm thinking because of the markings especially the heart logo.

I don't think it was for trade. If it was, it was after use by the EIC.

 

[cyten]

I’ve shot the bottom rifle, a .54 cal Ottoman Shishane miquelet circa late 1700’s-mid 1800’s
The top gun, a 12 gauge Greek Kariophili flintlock dated 1846 is in need of a new mainspring