Photos from museum of Tabor. Czechia

[Spiridonov]

-

[Matchlock]

Thank you, Spiridonov,

Actually, the first photo was taken at the Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis, Brussels.
The three wrought iron tiller stock haquebuts/stick guns range among the earliest of their kind and were made in ca. 1430-50.

The second photo shows two Czech 'Hussite pipes', short round wrought iron socket guns of ca. 1430, the stick stocks are replacements. The barrels are about 40 cm long, with relatively small bores of ca. 16 mm. Note the characteristically small touch hole.

The bottom photo depicts a cast copper alloy haquebut barrel made at Nuremberg, about the earliest of its kind as the staging and the early form of the hook placed nearby the muzzle denote: ca. 1450-60.
Length 73,8 cm, cal. 19 mm. The tiller stock is missing from the unusually narrow socket. On first sight one tends to believe that a small portion of the stick stock has survived but the more detailed photos in one of the following posts clearly show that this not the case.
Of course, this heavy 'brass' or 'bronze' piece was not a handgun but was counted among light artillery.

I attach better quality scans of the Czech guns.

Michael

[Spiridonov]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

Actually, the first photo was taken at the Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis, Brussels.
The three wrought iron tiller stock haquebuts/stick guns range among the earliest and were made in ca. 1430-50.

Michael

Sorry i miss with first photo What do you thin about last photo? It is about 1490 ?

[Matchlock]

Hi Spiridonov,

Our posts have crossed each other.

You may have read by now that the bronze barrel on the bottom photo was made as early as ca. 1450-60.

Best,
Michael

[Spiridonov]

I had remember that i had seen that barrel at german book of my friend. Its seems to be with cover. Is the 73,8 cm total lengh or barrel channal length?

[Matchlock]

You are right, Spiridonov,

I attach two detailed pictures which I took of that gun when it was on display at the Military Museum in Prague in 1995; you can see that the rectanguar pan around the touch hole on the top flat is a later repair, a working addition of ca. 1500, the once swiveling cover is missing.

The length of 73.8 cm must be the total length as the length of the bore is hardly ever measured.

The other barrel seen above the bronze gun seems to be somewhat earlier at first sight, ca. 1440-50, but the touch hole is already on the right side - maybe this, too, was a later working alteration and the original touch hole on the top side was nailed and shut as has been the case with many barrels. This is mere speculation, though.

Best,
Michael