Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

RDGAC · 26th March 2016, 01:58 PM

It's a weird design. I'll try and get a decent picture, but a quick description my be useful too.

From what I can tell, the North African snaphaunces are copies of originals traded with Morocco (indeed, sometimes with the specific aim of buying the Sultan's favour) during the 16th and 17th centuries by the English and Dutch. They copy these designs in most details, right down to the button-shaped "fence" or guard on the outside of the pan. So far, so good, except that the mechanisms aren't alike. On the European prototypes, the sear, pivoting horizontally and with its nose passing through the lockplate, engages the tail of the cock to hold it at the cocked position; indeed, that is the express function of the tail. On the North African derivatives, however - or at least, on mine, yours, and any others I've seen in photos or museums - the sear does not engage the tail. In my lock, it engages with a large slot, either cut into the cock after casting or, more likely, included in the original casting. The entire system reminds me slightly of wheel-lock mechanisms, with the sear pressing against a rounded detent to allow it to release easily when the trigger is pressed. On these snaphaunces, the net result is that the sear nose and the cast slot wear down to the point where they're both nicely rounded, at which point the whole mechanism ceases to function. When fettling this musket, I plan to see if I can rebuild the nose slightly so that the sear can actually hold the cock back.

26th March 2016, 01:58 PM	#3
RDGAC Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: York, UK Posts: 167	It's a weird design. I'll try and get a decent picture, but a quick description my be useful too. From what I can tell, the North African snaphaunces are copies of originals traded with Morocco (indeed, sometimes with the specific aim of buying the Sultan's favour) during the 16th and 17th centuries by the English and Dutch. They copy these designs in most details, right down to the button-shaped "fence" or guard on the outside of the pan. So far, so good, except that the mechanisms aren't alike. On the European prototypes, the sear, pivoting horizontally and with its nose passing through the lockplate, engages the tail of the cock to hold it at the cocked position; indeed, that is the express function of the tail. On the North African derivatives, however - or at least, on mine, yours, and any others I've seen in photos or museums - the sear does not engage the tail. In my lock, it engages with a large slot, either cut into the cock after casting or, more likely, included in the original casting. The entire system reminds me slightly of wheel-lock mechanisms, with the sear pressing against a rounded detent to allow it to release easily when the trigger is pressed. On these snaphaunces, the net result is that the sear nose and the cast slot wear down to the point where they're both nicely rounded, at which point the whole mechanism ceases to function. When fettling this musket, I plan to see if I can rebuild the nose slightly so that the sear can actually hold the cock back.