Two good Thurinigian Matchlock Muskets, ca. 1630 and ca. 1650
 

The one with the blackened beech-wood full stock, fish-tail buttstock and with Suhl marks on the barrel and lock plate, ca. 1630; overall length 141 cm, cal. 19.6 mm smoothbore. Original ramroad.

The one with the brown beech-wood full stock, "modern" belly buttstock and with Zella marks on the barrel, ca. 1650; overall length 136 cm, cal. 19.5 mm smoothbore. Original ramrod.

Both muskets are preserved in remarkably good condition for almost 400 year old military arms.

Both buttstocks bear arsenal marks: the 1630 musket is branded with the arsenal mark of the armory of the Veste Coburg where hundreds of almost identical pieces are still preserved today, the other with the initials CVS within a heart (unidentified).

The town of Suhl/Thuringia, together with all their arms workshops, got completely burnt down at the height of the Thirty Years War, in 1636. The formerly huge firearms production center was not to recover for some 20 years. That was the chance for the nearby town of Zella (aka Zella-Mehlis, Zella-St. Blasii) to take over and develop a somewhat bigger arms production than it used to have before.

As is the case with all Central European matchlocks, the pans are dovetailed to the barrel, as are the sights.

Please note the pics showing the dovetail for the pan of the 1650 Zellla musket and the detached pan. It detaches quite easly while being blocked by the stock when mounted.

Michael

The rest.

Details of the arsenal marks branded into the buttstocks for a close study.

The wooden surfaces retain all their original roughness.

Michael

Very interesting guns again, Michael, and well photographed!

The original wood finish is interesting to see, as many modern makers reproduce guns of this type, and totally miss it, with too fine a finish.

This is also the first time I have seen pictures of the dovetail fitting pan.
Until you told me of this common feature, I was unaware that the pan was ever fitted in this manner.
(I had seen some pans screwed to the barrel, and presumed others were forged in place. )

These are good examples of firearm developement, and show very well the progress in design of a mere twenty years!
Thank you for the detailed pictures once again!

Richard.

Thank you very much for your compliments, Richard.

I was absolutely sure that you would understand the differences in development right away - brilliant again.

Michael

The Bodyguard of the Elector of Saxony (Trabantenleibgarde, Chursächsische Guardie) parading with their matchlock muskets, musket rests and bandoliers in Dresden in 1614.

m

There is a typing error in the headline of this thread:

Thuringian is the correct spelling!

m