What Kind Of Firing Mechanism Is This?

[rkg]

Hi,

 

I was looking at a gun at a pal's place the other day, and was stumped by what they had done to the firing mechanism.  It looks like they put a chunk of iron/steel ground down to a stepped tip where the cord should go.  What kind of conversion is this? Did they put a cap down in the  touch hole and use this to set it off, hope the steel would strike a spark in the touch hole, or what?  in any case it looked like it was doing a number on the top of the touch hole cover, fwiw.

 

Also check out the touch cover hinge pin - it looks like it has some age to it, but has what looks like copper safety wire in the bottom - what's with that...?  Is that the way these were done?

 

 

I keep thinking I should get one of these beasts one of these days, but what I know I don't know about them is daunting...

 

Comments appreciated.

 

Thanks,

rkg

(Richard George)

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Richard, this is a late Edo, very early conversion to a form of percussion mechanism, to obviate the need for a burning match. Possibly 1830s? The gun itself was probably first made in Settsu in mid-Edo. It will probably be of less that 3.5 Monme ball weight.

 

A little 'pill' or ball of fulminate of mercury etc., was placed in the pan and struck with a hammer. The vent hole needs shaping and stepping too, to take the pill. Normally the serpentine on a snapping matchlock falls weakly, dropping the match on the surface of the priming powder, but for this new system to work it needed a stronger spring. See the extra steel spring that has been inserted into the original weaker brass one.

 

In the west people tend to like such evidence of evolution within the historical scheme of things. In Japan you will find that the market does not value them and they get junked, or in some cases with guns of good condition they can revert fairly easily to their older matchlock confuguration. I guess that can be justified for a number of reasons, including the subsequent gentle rise in value (in Japan).

 

As to the little piece of wire holding the hollow pin in place, that is quite normal. It enables a quick change of pan if necessary, and stops the hinge pin jumping out. It could be almost any material really, but usually a little more care is taken to tie it off neatly. That one looks pretty hillbilly rough and ready, and if you look closely a different, larger pan has been fitted and bent together at some point.

[Peter Bleed]

Richard you've gotta give us a better image. From what I see, my guess is that this was a minimally altered matchlock. A nipple seems to have been added to the "pan". And then to provide enough force to snap the cap, an auxilary steel spring was inserted in the brass spring. The extra spring is very neat, if not well crafted.

I think this is an interesting gun. Thanks for showing it.

Peter

[rkg]

Thanks guys!

rkg

(Richard George)