Early 17th Century Scandinavian Gun Lock

rickystl · 25th July 2020, 06:07 PM

Hello ALL

For you arcanine lock enthusiasts here is one of the more interesting, and curious locks I've seen. I won this lock (and two other different ones) in a German auction a couple months ago.
It's in virtually pristine condition. Appears the frizzen has never been struck. There are two threaded holes on the lock plate which tell me the lock was either mounted to a gun, or was prepared to, but never was done (?) Threads look to be in new condition. The Auction description was per the title above. The lock is unmarked. Beautiful chisel work throughout.
Usually these snaplocks are simple in design. But this one is quite innovative. One mainspring operates both the hammer and frizzen. The frizzen has a spring loaded safety feature and a sort of waterproof pan feature. The rear of the hammer has pin that acts as a hinge that doesn't fall off even when the top screw is removed. The square top screw looks like a carry over from the wheellock period. The lock is a forging and is in perfect working order with a strong spring. With the innovations, I'm hesitant to date this lock. But I'm guessing the first half of the 17th Century. We do know these Scandinavian snap locks remained popular for a longer period of time than expected.
Now here's the really curious part: The sear spring and sear catch are one piece. There is no trigger bar or mount for same on the lock plate. And there is no evidence there was one ever made. So how was this lock fired ? Hmmmm. Can you guys figure this out ? Since the lock looks like it was never in use, I wonder if this was just a styling exercise by some locksmith ? But then why bother making threaded holes for mounting ? The lock is certainly very high quality and well made. Picture heavy so you can view the many little details. Thanks for any help.

Rick

25th July 2020, 06:07 PM	#1
rickystl Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO area. Posts: 1,623	Early 17th Century Scandinavian Gun Lock Hello ALL For you arcanine lock enthusiasts here is one of the more interesting, and curious locks I've seen. I won this lock (and two other different ones) in a German auction a couple months ago. It's in virtually pristine condition. Appears the frizzen has never been struck. There are two threaded holes on the lock plate which tell me the lock was either mounted to a gun, or was prepared to, but never was done (?) Threads look to be in new condition. The Auction description was per the title above. The lock is unmarked. Beautiful chisel work throughout. Usually these snaplocks are simple in design. But this one is quite innovative. One mainspring operates both the hammer and frizzen. The frizzen has a spring loaded safety feature and a sort of waterproof pan feature. The rear of the hammer has pin that acts as a hinge that doesn't fall off even when the top screw is removed. The square top screw looks like a carry over from the wheellock period. The lock is a forging and is in perfect working order with a strong spring. With the innovations, I'm hesitant to date this lock. But I'm guessing the first half of the 17th Century. We do know these Scandinavian snap locks remained popular for a longer period of time than expected. Now here's the really curious part: The sear spring and sear catch are one piece. There is no trigger bar or mount for same on the lock plate. And there is no evidence there was one ever made. So how was this lock fired ? Hmmmm. Can you guys figure this out ? Since the lock looks like it was never in use, I wonder if this was just a styling exercise by some locksmith ? But then why bother making threaded holes for mounting ? The lock is certainly very high quality and well made. Picture heavy so you can view the many little details. Thanks for any help. Rick Attached Images