Shooting a replica Japanese ‘Tanegashima’ snap matchlock

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This young man is enamored with these fire locks!

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The Japanese had perfected their matchlocks to work in the rain.
Yes, they used a lacquered cover over the locks and matchcord to fire them in the rain. Off there battlements, they'd also hang strings at certain positions, with some form of markings at pre-set levels (both for distance and direction), so they could send off a volley of fire even in the middle of a dark night!
 
The musketeers were probably threatened with death if their guns didn’t go off….. those old samurai were not men to mess with.😵‍💫
 
The ' Tanagashima' isn't the gun its the place or port they first got guns . Its the name of the' MLAIC International' match but not the gun its self .Not that it much matters .As an aside I recall at Bisley's Short Siberia range that despite rain the match cord left burning on the firing point in rain still kept in .That's stuff I particularly noted during the prize giving . Over the years I won bronze silver & once gold in that event The gun was gun number 88 in 1988 .Ide make a lock in NZ ,breached a 40 cal smooth barrel in the US & stocked it in Sheffield. And then sell the guns to the Channel Island lads & make another for next year . I think the burning in rain occasion was dureing an International match held at Bisley I was just on Scrutiny of the fitness of the guns early 80s I think . Lived in UK then mostly. Anyway could pin it if it mattered was before Quantico Internationals & they where the same week as the NMLRA' Eastern 'R vous at Shawnee State forest ' Crab' was Booshway though I only caught the last days I was a member but a complete 'Porky' but Phil Cravener lent me a capote so I got in for the feast & Curly Gostomski gave me a ride to Ohio I was checking out suppliers Did buy some great Shonsney? locks off a blanket used them all up over the years That event saw me annually doing summers of gun shows & Events all over, roadied with a publisher & a gun dealer had 17 or years" wintering" in the US & Canada The geese are Not as silly as there made out to be & I never did like winters & cold short days Come Halloween Ide be heading back to NZ for another summer .Nope the geese are not silly (Only the ones that reached NZ seem to figure this was just fine & didn't bother taking the trip home! . )
Long winded Rudyard
 
Rudyard: Hate to be a nag, but you really must apply yourself to your memoirs -- or find a biographer. :cool:
Dear Bill I don't mind you being a nag I can only take your view as great compliment, I mean Wow Fan mail ! If you PM ed Tobjohn he.s a IT wizard. and has draft I wrote of my antics in north & equatorial West Africa as a very green 20 year old Thought this was sent as a PM Maybe it is ? Regards' Rudyard
 
I like his memoirs. I was at many of the places he talks about including his wedding
Dear flconch . Yes an F & I wedding up on Mt Defiance overlooking the Fort & Lake Champlain 1999 Parson Jim Burrows Later Did' Death of Lord Howe' that was the last event I did at Fort Ti, fond memory's had my baby Daughter that last time we camped at the old Ruins of Fort George? Or Ft Wiliam Henry I forgot which (The one in the film) Steve Pano ran us back to East Greenbush very good of him as we couldn't rent a car .We did do Culloden &' Fort Four' that trip .ending with Stone Gate Tavern' Eastern '
Regards Rudyard
 
Dear flconch . Yes an F & I wedding up on Mt Defiance overlooking the Fort & Lake Champlain 1999 Parson Jim Burrows Later Did' Death of Lord Howe' that was the last event I did at Fort Ti, fond memory's had my baby Daughter that last time we camped at the old Ruins of Fort George? Or Ft Wiliam Henry I forgot which (The one in the film) Steve Pano ran us back to East Greenbush very good of him as we couldn't rent a car .We did do Culloden &' Fort Four' that trip .ending with Stone Gate Tavern' Eastern '
Regards Rudyard
I was at all of the early Culloden events. On staff at Stone Gate. I was with Missy in those days. They were great times
 

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