ALGERIAN KABYLE MUSKET for Comment

Philip · 28th June 2017, 06:05 AM

The little hole was indeed intended to receive a locking-pin ("fiel" , in Spanish) intended to keep both the pan-cover and cock pivot bolts secure once they were tightened during assembly. Alonzo Martínez de Espinar, in his 1644 treatise ARTE DE BALLESTERÍA Y MONTERÍA, wrote:
"Fieles...are similar to headless nails, that notwithstanding the fact that the threaded screw retains and adjusts the cock, and battery, to the [lock]plate, after being adjusted the screw is drilled through its very threads, and being in place... the fiel is inserted in order that it always remain secure, and adjusted."

James D. Lavin, in A HISTORY OF SPANISH FIREARMS (1965), notes that on early miquelets other screws were secured with fieles as well. The use of these pins began to disappear (in Europe) during the 18th cent., probably because of more precise thread-cutting on screws, and, as Lavin points out, the tremendous pressure of the mainspring against the cock was sufficient to prevent its screw from rotating or backing out. The lighter spring providing tension on the pan-cover/battery made the fiel more necessary and it was the last to disappear.

So, it would not be unusual to find the used of these retaining pins on Algerian locks, considering that they derive from 17th cent. Spanish (Catalan, to be more precise) antecedents. Their continued use on these locks probably speaks to technical conservatism and the relatively poor quality of thread-cutting often found in locks made in the Islamic world.

The complete lack of threads on the battery pivot-bolt of the lock under discussion is an interesting manufacturing shortcut. With a fiel holding it in place, there is no reason why it shouldn't perform as well as a threaded screw. Interesting to note that pre-modern cultures in the East have shown an aversion to threaded screws in mechanical assembly despite their generally high level of metalworking skills. Indian firearms in general don't tend to use them, and an extreme absence of screws is encountered in guns from Japan, Korea, and the Malay Archipelago -- everything is held together with mortises, unthreaded bolts retained by fieles, and by sheer friction. Firearms from China and Vietnam are an in-between, with the better examples containing screwed components as early as the 18th cent., but this may well be the result of Jesuit technical influence (Peking, 17th-18th cent.) and French and Portuguese expat artisans (Annam, 18th cent.).

Philip · 28th June 2017, 06:18 AM

This seems to be an anomaly, the space is pretty big, it almost negates the purpose of the pan-cover as a means of retaining the fine-grained priming powder in the pan!

Like Rick, I've handled my share of Algerian locks, varying from masterful to crude, and on all of them, the pan cover fit was adequate. Could it be that the problem here might be a pivot bolt (or its corresponding hole in the pan-cover) having suffered excessive wear so that the upward pressure of the battery-spring would tend to lift it clear of the pan? If you applied pressure to the pan-cover when the unit was closed, and it moved downward to meet the pan, that might be the problem.

In general, I find that the overall fit and finish of these Algerian agujetas is pretty darned good. At least when you compare their build quality to most of the Moroccan snaphaunces. The mechanical failings of the agujeta seem to be more a matter of engineering and perhaps premature wear from dicey heat treating. The criticisms of 17th cent. Spanish writers (mentioned in a prior post) point to a problem with the design that was apparent centuries ago.

28th June 2017, 06:05 AM	#1
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	retaining pins (fieles) The little hole was indeed intended to receive a locking-pin ("fiel" , in Spanish) intended to keep both the pan-cover and cock pivot bolts secure once they were tightened during assembly. Alonzo Martínez de Espinar, in his 1644 treatise ARTE DE BALLESTERÍA Y MONTERÍA, wrote: "Fieles...are similar to headless nails, that notwithstanding the fact that the threaded screw retains and adjusts the cock, and battery, to the [lock]plate, after being adjusted the screw is drilled through its very threads, and being in place... the fiel is inserted in order that it always remain secure, and adjusted." James D. Lavin, in A HISTORY OF SPANISH FIREARMS (1965), notes that on early miquelets other screws were secured with fieles as well. The use of these pins began to disappear (in Europe) during the 18th cent., probably because of more precise thread-cutting on screws, and, as Lavin points out, the tremendous pressure of the mainspring against the cock was sufficient to prevent its screw from rotating or backing out. The lighter spring providing tension on the pan-cover/battery made the fiel more necessary and it was the last to disappear. So, it would not be unusual to find the used of these retaining pins on Algerian locks, considering that they derive from 17th cent. Spanish (Catalan, to be more precise) antecedents. Their continued use on these locks probably speaks to technical conservatism and the relatively poor quality of thread-cutting often found in locks made in the Islamic world. The complete lack of threads on the battery pivot-bolt of the lock under discussion is an interesting manufacturing shortcut. With a fiel holding it in place, there is no reason why it shouldn't perform as well as a threaded screw. Interesting to note that pre-modern cultures in the East have shown an aversion to threaded screws in mechanical assembly despite their generally high level of metalworking skills. Indian firearms in general don't tend to use them, and an extreme absence of screws is encountered in guns from Japan, Korea, and the Malay Archipelago -- everything is held together with mortises, unthreaded bolts retained by fieles, and by sheer friction. Firearms from China and Vietnam are an in-between, with the better examples containing screwed components as early as the 18th cent., but this may well be the result of Jesuit technical influence (Peking, 17th-18th cent.) and French and Portuguese expat artisans (Annam, 18th cent.).

28th June 2017, 06:18 AM	#2
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	trouble-shooting gap between pan and cover This seems to be an anomaly, the space is pretty big, it almost negates the purpose of the pan-cover as a means of retaining the fine-grained priming powder in the pan! Like Rick, I've handled my share of Algerian locks, varying from masterful to crude, and on all of them, the pan cover fit was adequate. Could it be that the problem here might be a pivot bolt (or its corresponding hole in the pan-cover) having suffered excessive wear so that the upward pressure of the battery-spring would tend to lift it clear of the pan? If you applied pressure to the pan-cover when the unit was closed, and it moved downward to meet the pan, that might be the problem. In general, I find that the overall fit and finish of these Algerian agujetas is pretty darned good. At least when you compare their build quality to most of the Moroccan snaphaunces. The mechanical failings of the agujeta seem to be more a matter of engineering and perhaps premature wear from dicey heat treating. The criticisms of 17th cent. Spanish writers (mentioned in a prior post) point to a problem with the design that was apparent centuries ago.