There ARE distinct differences between Chinese and Taiwanese guns as there are in the case of the swords and knives of the two culture-spheres. This can be expected since the aboriginal peoples of Formosa are not at all related to the Chinese ethnically, linguistically, or culturally. They share strong affinities with certain tribal peoples in Borneo and mainland SE Asia.
A classic example of a Taiwanese gun (these are very rare) can be found in Stone's GLOSSARY... OF ARMS AND ARMOR in the article "Gun", fig. 333. Its matchlock mechanism is unique in all Asia, a rudimentary thing worthy of late medieval Europe when the gun was in its infancy. In fact, the rearward-pivoting serpentine is very un-Asian, and is more typical of the West. So little is known about the development of guns on Taiwan that any supposition as to the introduction of this particular lock to the island would be very speculative. It is not found on the mainland of China.
The Taiwanese guns do not have sights. Chinese ones mostly do -- muskets have a bead or blade front and a notch or peep rear (Stone is wrong when he says some have 3 sights -- I've never seen such.
They are aimed by holding the crook of the stock against the CHEEK, the shoulder is not involved. The trigger hand helps brace the stock against the cheek, and helps steady the piece during aim. The arms absorb the recoil. It is a surprisingly efficient system once you get used to it. Cheek stocks were typical in Germany during the 16th-17th cent., and were introduced to Asia by the Portuguese along with the snapping matchlock mechanism in the 1500s. (the Japanese teppo is a classic example) Other Asian countries used long, shoulder-braced buttstocks of Turco-Persian type, China was unique in using both systems but I've never seen a Taiwanese gun with a shoulder stock.
The slender pistol-grip stock has a deeper crook than any of its counterparts in Tonkin (northern Vietnam) or China. Stone describes the barrel mounting as having a single barrel band and a key-bolt through the barrel tang. I handled this very gun some years ago (It's in the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, MA, you might be interested in contacting the staff for better images and details) and recall no provision for a ramrod. Despite its mechanical crudity, the fit and finish are decent for a tribal weapon made with limited resources.
In general, the deeply curved 90 degree bend of of these Taiwan gunstocks has parallels in some TRIBAL guns of continental Asia. Note in particular the guns of the Miao aborigines of Southwest China (see Howard L Blackmore, GUNS AND RIFLES OF THE WORLD, plate 70.) That piece has a far more sophisticated lock of Indo-Portuguese type, undoubtedly copied from the Chinese. The hill-tribes of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia used until recently a small smoothbore musket equipped with an ingenious but crudely made flintlock, these have half-stocks held by barrel bands like both the Miao and Taiwan pieces. (you have probably seen a number of these things before at gun shows since many were brought back by GIs during the Vietnam War). All of these plus the Miao guns lack ramrods, the powder and ball were apparently settled at the breech with a few smart raps on the butt with the muzzle held vertically. I can't imagine a patched ball being used, projectiles must have been a good deal undersized to get past the fouling that accumulates after a number of shots fired.
I hope this info is helpful. Let me know if you have further questions. Good luck on your project.
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