early matchlock sporting firearms

sal · 5th February 2015, 11:52 PM

ChrisPer, thanks for your reply on my inquiry concerning early matchlock sporting firearms. My main interest is with European firearms. I have a poor photo copy of an American Rifleman article from March,1953 entitled "The Earliest Known Rifle" where the author, William G. Renwick, shows a photo of a early firearm owned by Maximilian 1. The author claims that the barrel is rifled and has provided four grainy photos showing the muzzle of the barrel showing what appears to be spiral groves. Per the article,the gun is decorated with the single-headed eagle crest used by Maximilian 1 between 1493 and 1508 . The photo shows a short gun with a cheek piece on the left side of the stock, a multi-diameter round barrel, and a rear peep sight. The gun is missing it's lock, but it appears to have had a snap matchlock. The gun still retains the staples that held the lock. The author also included a copy of an illustration made by Joerg Koelderer, Maximilian 1s court artist, that pictures several similar looking firearms. I will use your advice and continue to research this project, but will certainly keep Maximilian 1s firearm in mind when I start the build process. Thanks for your input..sal

JamesKelly · 8th February 2015, 10:23 PM

Much later guns, but Visser shows a number of 17th century snapping matchlock target rifles.
See The Visser Collection Volume I, Part I, pages 95-120. Good illustrations. All are made with a substantial hand support under the forestock.
Not at all so intriguing as what Matchlock posts, unless I suppose you are a dedicated target shooter.

sal · 9th February 2015, 12:25 AM

Thanks for the reference...I will look it up. I am a target shooter as well as a hunter.

5th February 2015, 11:52 PM	#1
sal Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 3	early matchlock sporting firearms ChrisPer, thanks for your reply on my inquiry concerning early matchlock sporting firearms. My main interest is with European firearms. I have a poor photo copy of an American Rifleman article from March,1953 entitled "The Earliest Known Rifle" where the author, William G. Renwick, shows a photo of a early firearm owned by Maximilian 1. The author claims that the barrel is rifled and has provided four grainy photos showing the muzzle of the barrel showing what appears to be spiral groves. Per the article,the gun is decorated with the single-headed eagle crest used by Maximilian 1 between 1493 and 1508 . The photo shows a short gun with a cheek piece on the left side of the stock, a multi-diameter round barrel, and a rear peep sight. The gun is missing it's lock, but it appears to have had a snap matchlock. The gun still retains the staples that held the lock. The author also included a copy of an illustration made by Joerg Koelderer, Maximilian 1s court artist, that pictures several similar looking firearms. I will use your advice and continue to research this project, but will certainly keep Maximilian 1s firearm in mind when I start the build process. Thanks for your input..sal

9th February 2015, 12:25 AM	#3
sal Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 3	early matchlock sporting firearms Thanks for the reference...I will look it up. I am a target shooter as well as a hunter.

8th February 2015, 10:23 PM	#2
JamesKelly Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Michigan, U.S.A. Posts: 108	Much later guns, but Visser shows a number of 17th century snapping matchlock target rifles. See The Visser Collection Volume I, Part I, pages 95-120. Good illustrations. All are made with a substantial hand support under the forestock. Not at all so intriguing as what Matchlock posts, unless I suppose you are a dedicated target shooter.