Re: The oldest known handgun in existence, ca. 1400-10

[fernando]

Hi Michael,

Originally Posted by Matchlock

... which actually defines a haquebut (German: Hakenbüchse) was an invention of the first half of the 15th century ...

I wonder about paralel situations, like the picture i am posting here, of a large Malabar 'Esmerilhão' (Merlin); considered an early stage exemplar ( XV-XVI century transition), due to still being equiped with a wooden hook. Having been found that this type of hooks broke easily with the kick of the gun against bulwarks and battlements, they started making them in iron, still in the beginning of the XVI century.
Text and gun from the great collection of Rainer Daehnhardt, as illustrated in his work 'Homens Espadas e Tomates' (1997).

Fernando

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