Very Early Wheellock Pistol Plans

[TobJohn]

While searching for a good image of the very early wheellock pistol in the German National Museum, I found full schematics for building one. If anyone is looking for a fun project, here you go:
https://www.feuerwaffen.ch/index_htm_files/Konst_14 _RadPistole.pdf

 

[Story]

I wonder who'll cheat and use a few bicycle chain links.

 

[TobJohn]

I wonder who'll cheat and use a few bicycle chain links.

They would probably be smoother, if the shape works right.

The original has the lockplate screwed directly to the barrel, which I don’t know if that is safe.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

They would probably be smoother, if the shape works right.

The original has the lockplate screwed directly to the barrel, which I don’t know if that is safe.

Depends on 'where', as it is done often, e.g., Ferguson lockplates are secured to the breech. Some barrels on my early original arms have breech wall thicknesses of 5/16" to 3/8", but of course it is doubtful they could tap a blind hole back then as well as we do nowadays.

I even grind my bottoming taps to allow as full a depth engagement as possible (like when scoping BP cartridge Schuetzen rifes or other unmentionable rifles from my prior gunsmithing days, where the scope mounts are directly on the barrel).

 

[TobJohn]

Depends on 'where', as it is done often, e.g., Ferguson lockplates are secured to the breech. Some barrels on my early original arms have breech wall thicknesses of 5/16" to 3/8", but of course it is doubtful they could tap a blind hole back then as well as we do nowadays.

I even grind my bottoming taps to allow as full a depth engagement as possible (like when scoping BP cartridge Schuetzen rifes or other unmentionable rifles from my prior gunsmithing days, where the scope mounts are directly on the barrel).

It looks like this barrel is an inch total, with a .5inch bore, so a little thinner than that.

 

[TobJohn]

Video of a completed replica

 

[TobJohn]

After looking at some other sources, there are at least two issues with this set of plans and a tentative third.
First: The original had a hole all the way through the wheel, for the sear. The author admits that he had to guess when making the trigger mechanism.
Second: The original wheellocks from this period usually had an automatic pan. The pan cover looks and operates like a matchlock pan cover, but the pin it rotates on, rotates with it. At the bottom of the pan there is a linked parallel piece, which extends into a second hole in the wheel. When the wheel turns, it pushes the piece out of the way, rotating the pan. It is hard to tell in pictures of the piece, but it looks like the arm the pan cover is attached to may actually just be a flat spring holding it down. If the original pan is purely manual, it makes no sense to have a bulky lifting system, instead of using the rotating pan.
The similar gun from the Royal Armouries:

(Looks like I misspelled bottom, ignore that)
Third: The RA example has a sprung trigger, which could hint to this gun having the same.

 

[russellshaffer]

I personally would not worry about the screw holes. After all, percussion guns have drums and nipples screwed into holes in the barrel. And a short threaded breechplug.

 

[TobJohn]

I personally would not worry about the screw holes. After all, percussion guns have drums and nipples screwed into holes in the barrel. And a short threaded breechplug.

The original gun is also a 10mm bore, not 12mm, so there is a little more room for safety. I am waiting to see if the museum its located in will respond to an email of questions I have, but I have a couple of more corrections for the plans.

 

[Tinworm]

fascinating!

 

[TobJohn]

The museum updated their website, so I was able to get some better insight into the original. I have not heard back from the exhibits curator, but have received a response from another of theirs, so hopefully will be able to answer some final questions I had.
Radschlosspistole (W2035) | Objektkatalog

The bad news is that the plans are completely wrong.
Confirmed issues:
1. The pan rotates to the side and the arm reaching to it is just a tensioning spring:

2. There is no wood stock. This feature can be seen in the above photo.
3. There is no side plate. Instead, there is a belt hook:

4. The trigger does not rotate a sear. Instead, it looks like it wedges a spring sear out of the wheel. Seen above.
5. The original has a second loop, so that they can work as a ramrod retainer.
6. The original gun is 12mm.
7. I am still trying to find clarification, but it looks like this gun has a metal shell on top of the actual barrel? It also looks like there is a separate barrel and plug, but the plug forms the core of the handgrip:

 

[PhDBrewer]

Here is another set of plans I came across...
http://www.homegunsmith.com/cgi-bin/ib3/iB_html/uploads/post-59-22637-Wheellock_Plans.pdfFrom Greg Lauber...
Have fun!

William

 

[TobJohn]

For anyone interested in a very early wheellock pistol, I took some photos of the Royal Armoury's example. Ill include their images in this comment, and mine in a following comment.
Wheellock pistol Early example with exposed lock - Royal Armouries collections

 

[TobJohn]

The mechanism looks very delicate in person:

The bore was not perfectly centered in the barrel:

I tried to get the bottom of the gun, but the lighting and glare made it difficult:

 

[TobJohn]

The sear on this gun is very unique. A spring holds an L shaped sear against a square part of the spindle. Pull the trigger up lowers the sear out of the way, so the square can freely rotate.