Shooting a Matchlock

[Zonie]

When shooting my muzzleloaders (flint/percussion) I make it a rule not to smoke, or allow anyone smoking to get within 6 feet of me while I reload. To me, this is just a matter of safety.

I also make sure my flintlock priming flask is well away from my gun and either forward or to the left of it when I fire, so this begs the question: What do you do with a burning slow fuse or match while loading or priming the pan of a matchlock?
Another question is, what did the folks in the 15th and 16th century do with their "matches" while reloading?

 

[bigmusket]

Interesting question :: Well, in the drill our group uses, and how I do it, you hold the burning match in your left hand-I usually have the ends coming out between the pinky and ring finger, and between the index and middle finger. That works best for me. To save on match usage, I mainly have only one end lit, but in some drills I have been known to light both ends-which is customary. You get used to it. You have to watch where you pour the powder-it gets silly sometimes loading and firing quickly as I usually-and I notice some of my group too-loose a bit of powder out the barrel, and then you have to watch so it doesn't hit the match, but really I have never had any problem with it.

Hellen

 

[bigmusket]

Oh, and that is how they would have done it too-drill wise. There were 'fire bringers' as it were, who had a ready source for lighting fires, and matches. Also, there is the flint steel and charcloth way where you get the spark on the cloth and put it over the match end and give it a blow. I have read that musketeers on the march carried quite long lengths of match, my guess would be so it kept burning so they wouldn't need to worry about lighting it in a hurry as it was already lit.

Hmmmm Funny, you should have been there when I shot the Matchlock for the first time. I went through the drill without powder twice, third time the seargent of the group said I was to use powder this time and I was like, you want me to what? Prime and pour flammable Black powder down the barrel of this gun-I'd never shot a gun before either ::- while holding this bit of burning rope? I thought they were loopy.

Hee! I got through that in a hurry! I think the salt petre and hemp fumes must surely be getting to me now....YAY!
I love the Matchlock! heeheehee

 

[Stumpkiller]

"I smell their matches." Famous line from "The Seven Samuri" where an ambush fails.

I have never even been near a matchlock in operation, but I recall seeing prints of musketeers with burning match-rope on a tall fork used to steady the firearm. Apparantly this arrangement would allow the fork/rest to be jabbed in the ground, or at least leaned away, while the arm was charged (using those neat little 'apostles' hung from a bandolier) and then attached to the cock (if it's still called that on a matchlock) when ready.

Just curious Hellen - what kind of accuracy is achieved by you and the other matchlock shooters? Is it on par with flintlocks? Some look very 'conventional' and other, older designs, look like sighting would have to be "instinctive" style. And I'm not dissing that - I have sightless recurves and longbows launching cedar shafted & feather fletched arrows that I can hit man-sized targets at 80 yards consistantly on field archery courses. About on par with my flintlock musket.

 

[Zonie]

Hellen: Schuuuuusch. Quiet. If your going to use the H word you should say it softly. Tis better to say "rope", or "match". Maybe "twine" although I would stay away from "fuse", what with all of this terrorism going on.
If you say (hemp) too loudly, you might have the DEA and BATAF storming your place in no time.

hemp, you say? Burning hemp? hummmmm...Maybe this matchlock idea will grow by leaps and bounds if the word gets around :: :: ::.

 

[Teleoceras]

Zonie:

When I'm at the range, I will cut a piece of slowmatch to about the length of a finger. Once the Matchlock is ready to fire, then I ignite the match and place it in the serpentine. Once the match burns to the desired length, I open the pan cover and FIRE!

BTW, I make traditional hemp slowmatch which is easy to cut. The method above is safer and conserves slowmatch.

With the Handgonnes, I cut a longer piece of slowmatch and fix it to the tiller. I light it up just before firing and quickly cut off the burning end after firing.

 

[bigmusket]

Hee Tele. Powder burns are period you know! ::I put my match out on the ground, or in my glove.....UffDa!
It's neat to read how others shoot. My guess is that I've been taught differently.......not having any other experiences shooting. On the match thing, I buy (h e m p) cord in bulk, and make about 30 to 40 yards of match at a time. Then we use that for events and such. We light up before we drill, then march about and load while we go, then shoot. We use blanks-just powder- at events, unless ther's a range.

I do things a bit differently if I'm just shooting by myself /with ball-for fun, cause there is a big difference (safety wise) in shooting blanks, and shooting a ball(but I have done it with a ball: loaded and fired in 33 seconds-MUST move faster!). I usually put the match down on the end of the chair and pick it up when I'm loaded and ready. Makes things a bit safer for all watching.

 

[bigmusket]

Stumpkiller,

While I cannot hit anything....errr....Some folks I know have great eyes and can hit bullseyes at 50 yards! One of my friends, Todd, he loaded up his Matchlock with an UNpatched ball and hit the target dead on. Some Matchlock barrels come with a blob of metal by the muzzel end, and some I've seen have it further back, and some have none at all. With a patched ball, I think there is a great deal more accuracy-sometimes- than an unpatched one. So I think they are in the right hands , just as accurate as Flintlocks. And one of our guys took out the big Mary Rose Hailshot piece and drilled a target at 100 yards. Measured and all.....I guess it's all in how much you practise, but then again, when I go-even if it's raining-the sun is always in my eyes and I can't hit the target! Heh heh heh

What I learned was that smoothbore muskets(at least in Military life) weren't developed as much for accuracy, as the battle tactics of that time favoured the Volley, where you line up 3 or 4 deep with the first row kneeling, second row crouching in and the third row leaning in more, and everyone fired a massive volley at the other side, who were all doing the same thing back at you. Or the Musketeers would 'hide' between the pikemen and load and then come up through the ranks, fire, and then retire and reload. The theory being that if you aim in the general direction, with as many firing at once, you're bound to hit something.

Being in a large volley, BTW, is excellent fun! You have the thrill of seeing two musket barrels over your head :: and hearing a rather large, pleasing BOOM!

 

[Teleoceras]

Hee Tele. Powder burns are period you know! ::I put my match out on the ground, or in my glove.....UffDa!
It's neat to read how others shoot. My guess is that I've been taught differently.......not having any other experiences shooting.

That was why I mentioned shooting at the range. Safety first!

Speaking of the range, today was a PERFECT Matchlock day! Loaded up the car with Trudy, went down, and saw that the few people down there today had to be all in the 25-50 yards section.

Looking at their equipment, I recognized most of the people from a club of .22 competition shooters. I try to shoot a Matchlock in the middle of that group and I think I'll be having to club butt!

FYI, many of the B.P. shooters usually shoot on Sunday, but tomorrow is Easter so......Oh well. Next sunny Friday or Monday, I'm going to take a vacation day from work.

Have a Happy Easter!

 

[SquirrelsaurusR]

...what did the folks in the 15th and 16th century do with their "matches" while reloading?

This is where the musket drill came in. The burning ends of the match were usually held between the fingers of the left hand when reloading. The drill used by the military was rather elaborate and included removing the match from the serpentine after making the shot, then reloading, then replacing the match in the serpentine. Click on this link to read more (and to see pictures of the 48-step drill):

Musket drill

 

[maxxpyro]

As far as how accurate a smoothbore matchlock is would be determinded by the individual's knowledge of the intricities of their own gun.
Most would say that they aren't good except fired "en masse" at the enemy,however there are accounts of very successfull snipers in the 16th century as well as shooting compititions in the 15th century.
If your life depended on being able to hit your target on a daily basis,you'd get good or get dead.

 

[musketman]

Proudly displaying their matchlocks...

 

[Chuck Thom]

I don't do military battles or such but when I shoot at a range, I have a sword in the ground at the firing line, I load and prime behind the line , then step up to the line, put the match in the serpintine, open pan cover and fire. take matdch out, return it to sword and step back and start over ,however due to an accident I now wipe out the pan with a damp rag before I start loading. regards Chuck

 

[musketman]

however due to an accident I now wipe out the pan with a damp rag before I start loading. regards Chuck

I hope nobody got hurt...

 

[Chuck Thom]

I guess not everyone heard the story so here it is..I was demonstrating how to use matchcord to set powder off in the pan. Travis was holding the gun . I put powder in the pan with CVA pan charger that deposits powder when nozzle is pushed into the pan..retrived matchcord from 6 or7 feet away put in sepintine and let him flash in the pan to get used to the flash.. put the cord back on the rest. went to the gun, checked the pan and put powder in and started the process over.. on the 4th time I put the powder into the pan saw a flash and knew in an instant that was a bad mistake and I was going to lose a finger or two..I closed my eyes.. very loud bang..opened my eyes and saw hand and fingers all there..face hurt real bad, thought shrappnel but turned out powder burns.. finger looked like hamburger.. got to hospital.. sewed up what they could.. surgery later for shrapnel in palm of hand.. Travis just had powder burns.. I thank god he was wearing glasses or I'm sure he would be blind.. Everythings healed fine. took awhile before I could shoot a matchlock again but I'm back to having fun with them again..I've been shooting muzzleloaders for 27 years but accidents can happen. Regards Chuck Thom

 

[SquirrelsaurusR]

...surgery later for shrapnel in palm of hand...

Shrapnel? Did the breech blow to pieces?

 

[Itegorm]

I either hold the match in my left hand away from powder if loading from a powder bottle or if loading from a flask and measure I will hang the match from any available tree branch or such till I'm loaded.

Nick Barber

 

[Chuck Thom]

th CVA brass priming flask blew up

 

[robinghewitt]

After Paul Roberts (now "Stumpy" Roberts) priming flask blew up at the MLAIC worlds in Australia, I bored out the back of mine then closed it with a felt shotgun wad. A sort of insurance policy ::

 

[musketman]

After Paul Roberts (now "Stumpy" Roberts) priming flask blew up at the MLAIC worlds in Australia, I bored out the back of mine then closed it with a felt shotgun wad. A sort of insurance policy ::

So this would work like a pressure relief valve?

How would you apply that to this?