Indian Spanish Musket

[tarawa1943]

Today I started working on the Indian Spanish Musket that I got from my friend. I tried to get it to spark last week trying many of the flints that I got from. IMA years ago. Though it looked heat treated…..no spark. I ordered some true spark from Track of the Woods and it came in today. My set of torches were out of gas, so I had to use MAPP gas. The frizzen had lots of horizontal grooves, so I had to polish them off. I went through the process using the included instructions. After every thing was completed and cooled down I tried a few flints. It sparks! Some flints spark better than others. Next was drilling the touch hole, but the fact that the space under the frizzen was really shallow and narrow. I took the lock apart and used a 1/2” ball end mill to enlarge the tray. I marked and drilled the touch hole. Great day in the shop.
In the old pictures you see the Spanish resting their muskets on a support. This musket is a little (really more than a little) front heavy.

 

[Youngblood]

Grooved like this? If so, thats there on purpose.

 

[2 shots]

the spanish made their frizzens grooved like that.. look at some pics of their early muskets.

 

[tarawa1943]

View attachment 302211
Grooved like this? If so, thats there on purpose.

The Indians got it wrong. The grooves were horizontal and more like grind marks.

 

[Youngblood]

Ohhh. Hmm i dont know.

I had one just like it off gunbroker a couple years ago but after i cleaned it up i sold it without shooting. It had smooth frizzen and sparked good. It had real brass on it too, which is more than i can say for the Pedersoli spanish one i owned for a day or two.

 

[tarawa1943]

The instructions for the “Tru Spark” said to polish out any imperfections on the face of the frizzen. There is a lot of brass on this gun. The Indian guns are not “plug and play” for sure!

 

[springfield art]

Today I started working on the Indian Spanish Musket that I got from my friend. I tried to get it to spark last week trying many of the flints that I got from. IMA years ago. Though it looked heat treated…..no spark. I ordered some true spark from Track of the Woods and it came in today. My set of torches were out of gas, so I had to use MAPP gas. The frizzen had lots of horizontal grooves, so I had to polish them off. I went through the process using the included instructions. After every thing was completed and cooled down I tried a few flints. It sparks! Some flints spark better than others. Next was drilling the touch hole, but the fact that the space under the frizzen was really shallow and narrow. I took the lock apart and used a 1/2” ball end mill to enlarge the tray. I marked and drilled the touch hole. Great day in the shop.
In the old pictures you see the Spanish resting their muskets on a support. This musket is a little (really more than a little) front heavy.
View attachment 302202View attachment 302203

I'm fascinated with these India guns! The image of the guys in primitive shops, no OSHA posters or equipment, turning these things out in the 21st C. is amazing!

 

[tenngun]

The Indians got it wrong. The grooves were horizontal and more like grind marks.

Not on originals iv seen
Germans also put some groves in their jagar frizzen
And we se it on michilet locks

 

[springfield art]

Ohhh. Hmm i dont know.

I had one just like it off gunbroker a couple years ago but after i cleaned it up i sold it without shooting. It had smooth frizzen and sparked good. It had real brass on it too, which is more than i can say for the Pedersoli spanish one i owned for a day or two.

Was the brass just simply some PLATED stuff?

 

[tarawa1943]

My Indian Spanish musket has real brass, but the gun is so front heavy, I can’t hold it on target. I thought it was me (being old) but my young neighbor said it is really heavy. Way heavy for a smoothbore.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Sandals required.....

 

[springfield art]

My Indian Spanish musket has real brass, but the gun is so front heavy, I can’t hold it on target. I thought it was me (being old) but my young neighbor said it is really heavy. Way heavy for a smoothbore.

I have a high quality de-farb Enfield musket that is sterling in every respect, but it's just too heavy for me at Ten Pounds! Never fired, I'm going to list it soon but must sell face-to-face as I don't wish to deal with shipping and possible return if buyer doesn't wish to keep it. Wonder why your Spanish was so heavy? I like to weight guns just for the details it gives me. P.S.; I'm old, too, and don't re-enact! Good luck!

 

[tarawa1943]

Barrel thickness? So heavy that the balance point is towards middle of gun.

 

[springfield art]

Barrel thickness? So heavy that the balance point is towards middle of gun.

My Enfield de-farb is very barrel heavy, too, at 10 lbs. overall it feels like the wood is filled with lead!! A younger person may appreciate it. It is for sale person to person only, has nicely fitted bayonet (yet more weight!) and sling. From Blockade Runner (Todd Watts) 20 years ago. Unfired. Highest praise in the Civil War Musket book by Craig Barry. I always go as a customer walk-around to the large Oaks Gun Show @ Valley Forge. I have many other options to shoot, don't re-enact. Don't know what the current Pedersoli Enfields go for or weigh, but it's 1000 back then, and 1000 now. About 8 lbs. is what I'm comfortable with. Just finished an old 1980 CVA Mt. Kit, .50 cal. perc., and it's sweet at 8 lbs.