A very fine Tusco-Emilian snap matchlock Landsknecht's harquebus, ca. 1525

[Pukka Bundook]

Good morning, Michael.

I am not dissatisfied with your answer re. the wood spliced in on the 'tower' harquebus, it seems to me though, there is more to it and some things remain unexplained.
Re. the tubular back sights with a 'peep aperture, I am sure some of these are more modern add-ons, as you state, and crudely done.
I was really meaning the original ones, made and fitted to target arms in the late 1500's and early 1600's
From what I have read, some of these arms turned out surprising degrees of accuracy!.........Much better than military arms made two centuries later!

For instance, at a target shoot in Basel Switzerland in 1605, the targets fired at with smooth-bored targets guns, were about 75cm in diameter, (30")
and the range was 190 yds, or about 170-odd Metres.

For rifled arms, the target was 1 metre (roughly 40") in diameter, and range was 268 yds, or roughly 242 metres!
At this shoot, only cheek-stocks were allowed, with no resting of stock against the shoulder,...and fired off-hand.

Even today, such shooting is above what many can accomplish!

Re. the staked in aperture,
Maybe it would be better to refer to it as replaceable, rather than adjustable?
If it was found to work well, leave it alone, if it didn't, wack it out and try again!.......do you think?

With very best wishes,

Richard.

[Matchlock]

Exactly, Richard.

I fully agree with each single point you made.

Thanks a lot!

Michael

[Matchlock]

A 1530's matchlock harquebus with blued iron parts, brass tunnel back sight and heavily swamped muzzle section, the stock left 'in the white'!!!!

Detail of a painting of the Resurrection by Simon Franck, ca. 1540, in the basilica of Aschaffenburg/Northern Bavaria.

Michael