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Originally Posted by Philip
The term "Algerian toe lock" is often applied by collectors to these mechanisms, but in actuality, this is something of a misnomer. For one thing, locks powered by an external mainspring that pushes DOWN on the "TOE" of the cock are not restricted to Algeria; the common "focile alla romana" of central Italy and the locks found on a number of 17th cent. French and Austrian breechloaders also share this characteristic.
Spain is the birthplace of the external-mechanism flintlock systems common to much of North Africa, the Ottoman Empire, the Caucasus, and Iran. In most places, it is the "patilla" (little foot) or "a la espaņola" type that is characteristic; the mainspring pushes UP on the HEEL of the cock and the sear (linkage between trigger and cock) system is more direct and robust. These are commonly known to collectors as "miquelets", which arises from a 19th cent. neologism.
The Algerian lock, also of Spanish origin, is an interesting exception not only mechanically but developmentally. Its antecedent is a short-lived Spanish type called "agujeta" because the sear arrangement consisted of elongated pivoting bars with ends that went through holes in the lockplate and were thus likened to needles. (J D Lavin, "A History of Spanish Firearms" (1965) pp 170-172, also "Spanish Agujeta-lock Firearms" in ART, ARMS, AND ARMOUR (ed Robt Held, 1979). In Spain, the agujeta was in vogue only for the latter half of the 17th cent., disappearing by the early 18th, but enough of them must have made their way to al-Maghrib to become popular if not iconic in Algeria through the end of the 19th cent. Stylistic similarities, including elongated cock jaws, wing-shaped jaw screw finials, shape of priming pan bridle, outsized mainspring, and a dog catch safety hook are obvious. The Algerian version tends to be larger than the Spanish, and has a somewhat simplified sear which nonetheless does not make it more reliable since many existing specimens no longer function well.
Spanish authors of the period were not fond of this system, pointing to the weakness of the sear mechanism and the difficulty of maintenance and repair.
Mechanically-inclined readers can look at an exploded diagram of an agujeta sear linkage in Lavin, "History..." p 172, and compare it with the Algerian version in H Blackmore, "Guns and Rifles of the World"(1965), diagram p 115.
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