My latest daydream: A Kibler escopeta ...

[BillinOregon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. But I have been thinking about escopetas ahead of moving back to New Mexico and it occurred to me that if there was decent demand for one -- and a decent miquelet lock was available-- I bet Jim could sell dozens of them. Once you get up off the floor and your sides don't hurt any more, share your thoughts.
It continues to bug me that the Spanish occupation of North America gets almost zero attention.

 

[GriscomRun]

Bill, for those of us who do not know - what is an escopeta ?

 

[BillinOregon]

Here's a nice one. As far as I know it was the primary Spanish long arm in the New World.
https://jeff-john.com/occasional-gazette/f/the-spanish-escopeta

 

[GriscomRun]

Thanks for the link Bill. Very interesting read.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Pretty rough sights on an otherwise nice looking gun.

 

[BillinOregon]

Kid, I am old enough with cataract surgery that seeing the sights is not the first priority!

 

[Sam squanch]

I think ( and yell all you want) that the Indian gun companies could produce a decent miquelet lock. Even if they are a bit rough, they are easy to work on. I think a few were imported but they sold fast. Pedersoli needs to get there heads out of there behinds and make one, they would sell….

 

[Crew Chief]

Being of Spanish decent, I heard the word escopeta growing up. To me it always meant shotgun but I found that it also means short musket. I guess any smoothbore is an escopeta.

 

[Mike in FL]

I think ( and yell all you want) that the Indian gun companies could produce a decent miquelet lock. Even if they are a bit rough, they are easy to work on. I think a few were imported but they sold fast. Pedersoli needs to get there heads out of there behinds and make one, they would sell….

Uh oh. You said a bad thing about Pedersoli. I'm tellin'.

 

[BillinOregon]

Mike, I would trust Pedersoli to not get it quite right and charge an arm and a leg.

 

[BillinOregon]

Just curious: if Jim Kibler -- or one of the better India houses -- offered an escopeta with a decent miquelet lock, would you be tempted to buy one?

 

[Sam squanch]

Now that I looked, an Indian maker did offer a miquelet pistol and musket. Veteran arms had the musket, but it didn’t last long.

 

[rickystl]

Hi Bill

Meantime, here a a couple I own - just to wet your appetite. LOL

This would be considered a typical Spanish escopeta of the period. A style used by both military and civilian alike. Built from TRS Kit #766. Builder was Brian Anderson. This would be a good example to copy for a commercially available kit and would fill the desires of most enthusiasts. Just my opinion.

Rick

 

[rickystl]

Here is another escopeta. This one does not copy any particular original. Just something I dreamed up one day. LOL Again, built by Brian Anderson. This is a total custom using a nice European walnut blank. The brass hardware made by Brian. The lock is an original. A bit worn but functions well. A a simple style without a fence for easy lock disassembly, cleaning, and making new parts if ever needed.
But what is really unique is that it has interchangeable barrels. Both .58 rifled and .62 smooth bore. The compression style barrel bands are what allows for easy changing of barrels.

Rick

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Wow, love, lOvE, LOVE that 2-barreled one! Super! And I too LOVE the Catalan stock shape. And built by none other than Brian … man, that’s a winning TRIFECTA right there!

Can you imagine that someone on here once had the audacity to call mine ‘butt ugly’???? LOL!

Built by Steve Krolick, as a Spanish Officer’s Model. Light, very handy, extremely accurate, robust lock … what more could ye ask for?

 

[BillinOregon]

Rick, Dale, y'all are killin' me here! Beautiful examples. I agree, Rick, that the TRS #766 would be a perfect model to duplicate.

 

[rickystl]

Hi Flint

That is a SUPER NICE officer's escopeta. Just a small amount of carving and engraving - not over done. A perfect barrel profile. A great example. Is the barrel smooth or rifled ?
True, some do not find the miquelet lock and butt stock design to be attractive looking. And that may be the reason for one of the kit builder's hesitation for making a commercially available kit (?) I haven't really heard anything negative about these Spanish guns. It's just not their cup of tea. But maybe they will become ore popular down the road. If one of the good commercial lock builders would build a lock, that might spur a kit maker ?
The twin barrels was somewhat a novel idea. Of course, an original would be a smooth bore. It is very rare to come across a Spanish (or Southern Italian) gun from the period - military or sporting - with a rifled barrel. Apparently, the Spanish didn't have much use for rifled barrels even with their sporting guns. The only two rifled ones I've ever seen had Turkish barrels.

Rick

 

[rickystl]

Rick, Dale, y'all are killin' me here! Beautiful examples. I agree, Rick, that the TRS #766 would be a perfect model to duplicate.

Hi Bill. That was my thinking also. That #766 gun is a plain utility type example that could fit an impression from say the later Colonial period to the early Fur Trade as historically accurate.

Rick

 

[springfield art]

This is not Mr. Kibler's field. There is some type of Spanish generic musket in the Dixie catalog, and does the India mfgrs. make one? Perhaps Military Heritage?

 

[springfield art]

Kibler making an escopeta? Sure there's not some peyote getting into your coffee?