Matchlock website

[Matchlock]

Exactly, Spiridonov,

This kind of tinder snap lock, with only a part lock plate of brass for the serpentine and all other parts mounted separately on the stock, was traditionally dated "late 15th century" in literature from ca. 1900-1980. Hundreds of harquebuses and haquebuts with this kind of mechanism are preserved at the Západoczeské Muzeum Pilsen, Czechia, and I photographed and examined many of them in 2000.

As I pointed out in an earlier post, due to the shape and place of their back sights (the original tubular sights all missing now), their barrels in general with their long muzzle sections left unstocked, and their stocks, clearly denote that they are Nuremberg productions of ca. 1525-30.

A longer gun with the same mechanism at the Landeszeughaus Graz, also posted here earlier, was dated "late 15th century" by Arne Hoff before I identified its maker's mark: Peter Hofkircher started to make such haquebuts for the Graz Arsenal in 1526.

Michael