Upgraed or modernised handgonnes

Matchlock · 6th October 2013, 08:54 AM

Do you really think this is a genuine object? I feel like we would need to see the breech and barrel tang section. The octagonal barrel with its smooth surface could also be reused from a heavy wheellock or matchlock musket of ca. 1600 and may have been cut down to its present shape.
Also, I do not trust the stock either; the belly butt indicates a style of ca. 1640-50 (not 1730) and additionally is of improper proportions. Moreover, the raised rim running around the lock plate that was characteristic to the stocks of all firearms after the mid-17th c. is missing here.

The mere fact that the gun is in a museum nowadays does not prevent it from being a fake. On the other hand, it might be the crude work of some poacher ...

Best,
Michael

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6th October 2013, 08:54 AM	#1
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Do you really think this is a genuine object? I feel like we would need to see the breech and barrel tang section. The octagonal barrel with its smooth surface could also be reused from a heavy wheellock or matchlock musket of ca. 1600 and may have been cut down to its present shape. Also, I do not trust the stock either; the belly butt indicates a style of ca. 1640-50 (not 1730) and additionally is of improper proportions. Moreover, the raised rim running around the lock plate that was characteristic to the stocks of all firearms after the mid-17th c. is missing here. The mere fact that the gun is in a museum nowadays does not prevent it from being a fake. On the other hand, it might be the crude work of some poacher ... Best, Michael