Matchlock Caliver

[Landsknecht]

Yesterday's mail delivery brought my new matchlock caliver, made by John Buck of Virginia. It's a .62 smoothbore with an octagon to round barrel and will be used at the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire in May and June of 2006. I am hoping for some pleasant weather this weekend to take it to the range and try it out.

Speaking of trying things out, I am trying to post photos of it here:

 

[arilar]

Looks great! :v Tell us all about how it works out. Always curious on the progress!
Regards,
ARILAR :grin: :thumbsup:

 

[GeorgeHayes]

Great gun! Thats kind of how I'm making mine except I'm fitting an even simpler serpentine lock.

 

[benvenuto]

nice one! :thumbsup:

 

[Light Dragoon]

Landsknecht;

A friend of mine got one of John's guns recently too, and it's nice. Nice enough for him to win our Schützenfest! (Of course I wasn't shooting my Shinn musket, since I had won the year before... :grin: )

Good luck with your new piece!

Cheers,

Gordon

 

[Landsknecht]

Thanks! That is very encouraging. With so much preparation for Christmas it will probably have to wait until after the 25th for me to try it out. Ouch!

 

[Musketeer]

Hey, Landsknecht, just wondering, did you order this directly from John at his new place? If so, how was the experience (wait time, etc.)? :hmm:

 

[Chuck Thom]

when I got my John Buck matchlock the wait was 8 months and he moved in the middle of that wait so I assume the wait would be less..he builds a good gun for a fair cost and I highly reccommend his work.....Chuck Thom

 

[Landsknecht]

It was an excellent experience, all around. I placed the order by phone and we had a very interesting conversation about matchlocks. I was originally going to order the cheaper round barrel and he talked me into the more expensive octagon to round barrel--which was well worth the extra expense.

His prices are very reasonable and I sent him a money order as a 50% deposit (he takes checks, but I didn't want my wife to see this in the family checkbook and I had the cash). Work was delayed slightly when a snowstorm caused him to lose electricity for a few days. John emailed me when the caliver was finished and I sent another money order. About 10 days later I had the gun. Perhaps I caught him at a slow time since it was under three months from my sending the first M/O to the day that the postman delivered the gun.

The gun is so similar the the one that used to be on the Sykes website that unless you compared the grain of the stock you would think it was a picture of the same matchlock.

At the risk of a longer wait time on my next order I really encourage everyone with an interest in 16th & 17th century guns to give John Buck a call and see what he can do for you.

 

[Musketeer]

The gun is so similar the the one that used to be on the Sykes website that unless you compared the grain of the stock you would think it was a picture of the same matchlock.

You mean THIS one? :haha:

That was my favorite one on Sykes' site, so I happened to have this pic saved. I wish now I'd saved all the pics they had up... :hmm: Thanks for the info. :thumbsup:

 

[Landsknecht]

Yes! That is the one. I wish I had saved all the photos, too. Maybe someone on the forum has them and will share.

John Buck made many (all?) of the guns for Sykes. Dealing directly with John saves a bunch of money over what Sykes had to charge. It's a genuing case of cutting out the middleman. :winking:

 

[robinghewitt]

Is it a copy of a Spanish gun? I only ask because I seem to remember that English calivers had a fishtail stock :hmm:

 

I have all the photos. :grin: And they will become available again, sometime in the near future. Can't say more than that.

 

[Musketeer]

I have all the photos. :grin: And they will become available again, sometime in the near future. Can't say more than that.

:hmm: Sounds interesting... :grin:

 

[benvenuto]

Probably not spanish per se, but Spain and Italy were major influences in the international style of the time.
The high comb and the thumb cut-out came in after 1540 or so. English were sticking to the longbow before then
Apart from all the highwaymen molesting honest folk with "little crossbowes and hagbutts"

 

[robinghewitt]

Probably not spanish per se, but Spain and Italy were major influences in the international style of the time.

I got that wrong, memory not what it used to be :redface:

...this is the French stock. There was a survey of arms in the Tower taken in 1663 and they divided them into French stocks and club stocks, the old arquebuses and calivers were all listed as club stocks, Blackmore says this must refer to the fish tail type.

BMFA 1650-1850 page 29

 

[Slowpoke]

Oh Claypipe.... you big tease... tell us about the new forum updates... we promise not to tell Claude.... Scout's Honor.

SP

 

[Musketeer]

Probably not spanish per se, but Spain and Italy were major influences in the international style of the time.

I got that wrong, memory not what it used to be :redface:

...this is the French stock. There was a survey of arms in the Tower taken in 1663 and they divided them into French stocks and club stocks, the old arquebuses and calivers were all listed as club stocks, Blackmore says this must refer to the fish tail type.

BMFA 1650-1850 page 29

I still don't know enough about these early guns to say for sure, but I was under the impression that the stock style in the above pics predated the fishtail style by a few years. I would place this gun's style from mid to late 1500's, and the fishtail from late 1500's to mid 1600's...any thoughts? I could be way off. :hmm:

 

[robinghewitt]

I would place this gun's style from mid to late 1500's, and the fishtail from late 1500's to mid 1600's...any thoughts? I could be way off. :hmm:

Sounds right to me :thumbsup:

 

Oh Claypipe.... you big tease... tell us about the new forum updates... we promise not to tell Claude.... Scout's Honor.

SP

Claude knows all and sees all. :bow: But what I am talking about has naught to do with the forum, other than to be a future topic and an addition to the information vault that is part of the MLF.

:thumbsup:
CP