Spanish Long Gun Finished

[rickystl]

Hello All.
Hot off the bench (but not my bench LOL). Thought I would add something to the Forum with a bit of Spanish influence not often seen. I've been thinking about this gun for 2/3 years now. And finally had the idea put to metal and wood. Not a copy of any paticular original. Just something I came up with LOL My imaginary "theme" for this gun was that it was built from a combination of old and new parts in the old Continent, and eventually found it's way to the Colonies sometime about the Third Quarter of the 18th Century. Specs:

GUN: Spanish, Catalin style Escopeda.
BUILDER: Brian Anderson
STOCK: Good grade of European/English walnut from Dunlap's Woodcrafts. Lots of black curl/lines.
BARREL(S)-2: Barrel on the gun is a Colerain "C" weight, octagon to round, 44" X .58 cal. rifled (non-HC). And a second barrel of the exact same pattern but 20 gauge smooth bore (HC). Barrel bands allow to easily change barrels if desired.
BRASS HARDWARE: Modified, Spanish style trigger and guard from TRS. Butt plate and barrel bands hand made by Brian.
LOCK: Original, large size Spanish miquelet lock, unmarked. Worn, but functions/sparks well.
Bunch of photos. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for looking.

Rick

 

[rickystl]

MORE PHOTOS..........

 

[jackley]

Neat idea! Haven't seen one of those before. Nice wood!

 

[Robby]

I know nothing about these guns Ricky, but that is very nicely done, everything!!!!!!
Robby

 

[dave_person]

Hi Ricky,
Congratulations! Brian is an excellent builder and blacksmith. I heard all about your gun during our woods walks this summer. Brian often uses his escopeta during those shoots and he is good with it.

dave

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Very nice Rick! Lovely piece of wood.

Keep us up to date when you get to testing it out.
BTW,

Will it stand upright on its buttplate?

 

[Captjoel]

Well I never been to Spain
But I kinda like the music
Say the ladies are insane there
And they sure know how to use it
They don't abuse it
Never gonna lose it
I can't refuse it

Now that is a very nice lady you have there Rick!!

 

[rickystl]

Thank you ALL for your kind replies. Yes, I could not be happier with the outcome.

Dave: Yes, I thought Brian would be the perfect builder for this gun since he's built escopeda's before and uses one himself. When you shoulder it has sort of a cross feel between a musket and a fowler. It weighs in at 9-lbs. But balances more like 8-lbs. It shoulders and points really well. Sort of a working man's gun if you know what I mean. LOL One of the things I've learned with having custom made guns and accessories is to give the builder a general idea of what I want, and let the artist do the rest. I always end up happy. LOL

Hi Richard: LOL No, it won't stand upright on it's own, but looks like it could with that flat butt plate. Which is actually more comfortable than you would first imagine. Something else Brian did was the use of domed head screws versus the more common pan head screws you see on European guns. With the exception of some military arms, the pan head screws seemed more in use with Spanish made arms for some reason.

Rick

 

[rickystl]

The accessories posted with the gun above may also be of interest to some.

The horn bodied flask (sometimes called a pulverin) was an attempt to make a Spanish style flask. The brass hardware is from TRS Kit # 546. The assembly was done by Tim Albert and featured in one of his past articles in Muzzle Loader magazine.

The knife is an original period piece called a cuchillo and made in Albacete, Spain. This style of knife remained popular on the Spanish Continent for many decades. The loose handle was repaired, blade re-sharpend, and custom period-style leather sheath was done by Larry Gotkin.

Rick

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

VERY nice!

 

[Pukka Bundook]

That's a bonny flask, Rick!

The brass parts look very nicely made. (and correct!)
The knife is similar to those we see in S America,..."Gaucho" knives.
Very nice set up!

 

[Grumpa]

All very nice!! I really like the idea of the interchangeable barrels. And the accessories are also beautifully done. Thanks for sharing.

Richard/Grumpa

 

[jrmflintlock]

Man that is very nice!

Born and Raised in Taos, my Family is very proud of our Spanish Lineage, being connected to the Conquistadores. I even am trying to incorporate that connection to my persona!!

That said I have been interested in making a similar rifle! I am just recently staring the research of it, so this was timely!!

I shot a few times with Brian when he lived in NM. What a genuine fellow!! He always had some beautiful firearms to Shoot!

Thank you for sharing!!

 

[PluggedNickel]

Awesome! Love it. I can see you came by those calluses the old school way! Great photos too btw!

 

[BillinOregon]

Rick, you have outdone yourself, friend. Beautiful escopeta, and the knife and flask are so sweet. I wish there were more interest in the Spanish firearms, and that they weren't a custom proposition. Brian did a marvelous job -- understated perfection. Really look forward to your range reports!

 

[rickystl]

Again, thank you all for your kind comments. Much appreciated.

The handle/grip for these knives would seem more appropriate on a dagger. It does not offer a really firm grip. But they remained popular none the less. Occassionally, a novice will confuse these knives with a plug bayonet.

Rick

 

[renegadehunter]

Funny to me that such a fancy and nice looking knife has the simple name of "knife", although Cuchillo is much more cool sounding. It is very sharp looking (pun intended). We must have similar tastes as to what is pleasing to the eye, as I find all of the above items appealing. Very nice!

 

[Dave Orchard]

Rick,
That is very close to the lighter gauge escopeta I'de like to get built using a Miquelet pistol lock.
Wonderful good job from concept to completion...
Would Brian mind if You were to give me his contact info.?

I read a quote from a knowledgable person that may have been a slight exaggeration, " A Miquelet will spark with a chip of paving stone clamped between the jaws."
My small Miquelet sets off priming with dull, worn-out flints, so he didn't exaggerate much
Also, having the innards of the lock on the outside of the lock plate might seem "wrong", but it is easy to brush grit away from moving parts with a feather & apply a dab of grease to surfaces that bear on each other.
Much different than many of us are used to, but very serviceable under frontier conditions.
Dave

 

[richard jones]

I love fine craftsmanship!

 

[rickystl]

Once again, thanks for your replys.

Dave O: I'll ask Brian and send you a PM.

I've often thought that the miquelet locks with the serrated frizzen faces might act like a sort of self-knapping feature, allowing the flint to last longer before needing attention. But I've never read any historical evidence to confirm this. But I too have found this to be the case.
The lock on my gun is a bit different. It was made without the serrations on the frizzen face and lacks the "ring" on the top screw. Both common/popular features with most Spanish/Bresican locks. So mine seems to be a bit of a hybrid, possibly made elsewhere in Europe. But the lockplate is styled similar to early Spanish variations. I used this lock because of it's large size and generic, unmarked features. While worn, it still functions great.

I'll get back to you ref Brian.

Rick