Yeah, there are all sorts of small details and variations.
I have noticed a lot of these petronel and petronel adjacent guns have screws that go through the tang from the top, opposed to the more common bottom.
Simple instructions for making a matchlock
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I have noticed a lot of these petronel and petronel adjacent guns have screws that go through the tang from the top, opposed to the more common bottom.
Pukka Bundook
54 Cal.
John,
That's what makes Building these guns so much fun! It's hard to get it wrong! No hard and fasts to adhere to.
Its like the locks With Integral pans!.... In use in the later 1500's then seem to disappear for a hundred years or more!
That's what makes Building these guns so much fun! It's hard to get it wrong! No hard and fasts to adhere to.
Its like the locks With Integral pans!.... In use in the later 1500's then seem to disappear for a hundred years or more!
Sirs;
I am relatively new to Muzzleloading and have become fascinated by the Matchlock.
I need help finding detailed plans for the building of the Matchlock Lock in the above picture, titled "Making a Matchlock." I downloaded the article from NAU, however, it is not detailed enough.
I would really appreciate it if you or someone in the Fourm Community would point me in the right direction.
Stay alert, stay safe,
Thank you,
Hector
Hector, good luck and godspeed to you in your quest to build a matchlock. The notion enters my head briefly from time to time as the lock is so simple. But I say "briefly" because as soon as I consider the reality of building a decent stock, inletting a barrel and drilling a ramrod hole, I fold up my tent and go back to my Tinker Toys. 
I am currently working to build a matchlock and have looked for an answer to this. For a full gun, there are some great plans you can buy. For just the lock, I haven’t found detailed instructions anywhere. Most of it seems pretty straightforward, except for the serpentine. I was considering using a blow torch to bend it in shape, heat the head, and then hit it mostly flat with a big ball peen hammer to try and make the match holder.
If you want images of locks for inspiration, I have a bunch saved I can share.
Sir,
Thank you for your reply.
I realize the Matchlock lock is relatively simple however, without a detailed diagram I have no idea how tall, wide or long anything is much less the mechanical relationship of the parts.
I am relatively new to this and I really do not know, what I don't know.
I am an amature blacksmith and only have a primitive coal forge on the ground that I use an old hair dryer for air. However, I have been able to make many things and I believe I should be able to make the necessary forging.
Your idea to use a blowtorch should work especially if you use Map-Gas or acetylene.
I think some sort of flat spring may be needed and I have made them from hacksaw blades by carefully cutting and shaping without letting them get too hot.
Anyway thank you for your time, I appreciate it.
Hector
I will dm you some of the images I have and other useful links, that have dimensions.
I am away now, but I will take some pictures of some various matchlock assemblies and upload them with some engineering/scaled Drawings sometime …
I am pretty busy … but you are most welcome to PM me and kindly remind me about this … if you don’t see them in a week or two …
Sir;
Outstanding, thank you very much.
I have read most of the postings on this Fourm about Matchlocks and am impressed about the historical detail some of the authors go through.
If you happen to receive the American Rifleman, there is a great article by the leader of our muzzleloading group, William Maypoles, of the "Montezuma Muzzleloaders" out of Sierra Vista, Arizona. About a historic Spanish Conquistador cannon recently found in southern Arizona.
I do not know what the "action" is called since it was probably fired by hand with a lit match.
Simple enough for even me to make.
Thanks again,
Hector
The link I sent you has a great overview of how the locks evolved from the beginning of the 1500s, to the classic style of matchlock lock. The history of all this becomes quite the rabbit hole.
Pukka Bundook
54 Cal.
Was the link "A Matchlock chronology" John?
That's a good start!
That's a good start!
Yep!
I have posted this video before, but its a good resource for anyone trying to understand how the lock works. Around the halfway point, the presenter has the lock out of the gun and shows how the internals work. Also, I am just jealous of their repro Italian caliver/petronel.
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Pukka Bundook
54 Cal.
Hector,
In the above picture with the lock dismounted, you can see the lock is about eight inches long.
"About" is close enough with matchlocks! That means the sear bar is about ten inches or a bit more in a straight line.
after that, it all falls into place.
That's how I made mine, and it works.
(as in, for a shoulder stock, the distance from breech to butt-plate is fixed by your length of pull, or to keep it looking right, usually 13 to 14 inches, the lock has to line up with the pan, and that fixes its position, so a lot of the gun is actually fixed measurements , if you see what I mean)
In the above picture with the lock dismounted, you can see the lock is about eight inches long.
"About" is close enough with matchlocks! That means the sear bar is about ten inches or a bit more in a straight line.
after that, it all falls into place.
That's how I made mine, and it works.
(as in, for a shoulder stock, the distance from breech to butt-plate is fixed by your length of pull, or to keep it looking right, usually 13 to 14 inches, the lock has to line up with the pan, and that fixes its position, so a lot of the gun is actually fixed measurements , if you see what I mean)
One important note about the gun in the video is that the serpentine is distinctly Italian (the C shape with the shell like decoration where it attaches to the lock). It would not look right on a classic fishtail matchlock.
Pukka Bundook
54 Cal.
.
As Tob says,
this is one I made ages ago. he has a brass eye so he can get a good aim at the pan!
As Tob says,
this is one I made ages ago. he has a brass eye so he can get a good aim at the pan!
I realize this thread is now several months old but I have a question... In the video, the view from the muzzle end, when the gun is fired, at about the 7:09 mark, what is all the junk that comes out of the barrel? There is no mention of any wadding when he loads the gun.
I’m fairly sure the projectile is just paper wadding because they are not at a range.
