Monster Malay Matchlock
 

This beast arrived today. I knew the barrel length when I bought it online, but had no idea it was so massive. Barrel is 54 1/2", with an overall length of 65 1/2". Bore measures 5/8". Weighs in at about 18lbs. Wall gun? My online research shows these Malay guns to be very scarce. Any info would be much appreciated. Sorry for the crappy photos.

WOW,ITS A BEAUTY,CEYLON HAS SIMILAR MATCHLOCKS,BUT GUESS YOURS IS FROM THE MALAY REGION,CHEERS

Ceylonese usually have the locks on the left side, right ?

What strikes me most is the difference in preservation between the barrel and the stock .
Beautiful gun .

I think that the furniture is brass/bronze so therefore no rust.
Stu

True about the furniture; but the wood is in such good condition also or appears to be .
Considering the climate where this gun lived and how quickly wood degrades there I'd guess it must have been re-stocked at some point .

I have some Japanese guns, with similar extremes in patina. Perhaps, as in Japan, guns in Malaya are very restricted. Maybe the barrels, and stocks/furniture are stored separately? Most of my Tanegashima, were bootlegged out of Japan, via Gunbroker. Here are some better photos of this gun.

Hi Rick,
Agreed, but if the wood is something like teak, then it is likely to stand up to the conditions.
Trenchwarfare....do we know what the wood is please?
Stu

THE TANEGASHIMAS WERE MOSTLY MADE OF CHERRYWOOD,THE UNUSUAL SHAPE OF THE BUTT OF TRENCHWARFARES MATCHLOCK AND THE TANGASHIMAS IS THEY WERE CHEEK FIRED,CHEERS

The stock does appear to be Teak. The stocks on all five of my Tanegashima, are Japanese Red Oak. Most made to look like Cherry. If you look closely, you can see the open Oak grain.

Does anyone have any idea, as to the age of this gun? I have searched the internet, and information is very sketchy. The only photographed examples I can find, are in some metropolitan museum, or in a Bonham's, or Christie's auction catalogue. Is it a wall gun, or was it fired from a rest? It's far too heavy for some 90 pound Malay guy to carry around.

Hi Trench.
WOW!! What a beast!! At 18lbs. this definately puts it in the catagory of a wall gun. Especiaaly with a cheek mount. Or otherwise requiring some type of stand or rest. Maybe even resting on the shoulder of another warrior about mid way down the barrel while the other is aiming and firing? LOL. :shrug:
In any case, it's a very cool gun. It's really hard to date these guns. But with the full length, tapered octagon barrel, my best guess is somewhere in the 1870's or earlier 19th Century. Unlike the Japanese pieces, there's so little information about them. But the locks all look very similar.
Rick.

I mis-guessed the weight of this gun. It's closer to 12 pounds. Still, quite a bit for a hand held weapon. Especially when you figure comparable guns from other regions weigh only around 6/8 pounds.