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Originally Posted by rickystl
Hi Philip.
I can say, from a shooter's perspective, that the Algerian lock as above does eat up beveled flints very quicky! And the trigger pull is very stiff.
Another good example which I believe adds further evidence to the poor flint quality in the Eastern region are the English TRADE locks that were traded all over the East and North America around the turn of the 19th Century. These were basically an ENGLISH MADE copy of the locks used on the British 3rd Model Brown Bess musket. What I have noticed is the same locks sent to the Eastern markets have this stronger mainspring versus the same locks sent to North America. But generally, I believe the quality of flint available in the Region accounts for these heavy mainsprings.
Rick
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Thanks for a very interesting observation as re mainsprings on "Brown Bess pattern" locks made for different markets. My limited experience with British regulation-style weapons makes this revelation news to me and despite this specific area being a tad off-topic from this thread, the gist of it may certainly apply to the current discussion.
The overall robust proportions, heavier mainsprings, and the emphasis on durability over mechanical refinement on North African firearms would come across as advantages of sort in a milieu in which the shooters tended to be nomads having to carry on in a state of material deprivation, far from access to skilled gunsmiths for maintenance and repairs. And perhaps being chronically short of good flints!
What is perhaps less obvious to us is why, despite the great skill exhibited in some Islamic cultures in making twist-forged and "damascus" barrels, and the love of showy ornamentation for the better pieces in practically all areas, that the overall standard of lock-making even on the luxe weapons of the pampered elite tended to be noticeably below what a European would consider even middling-good. It speaks volumes when you examine those war-trophy Ottoman guns of the 17th cent. converted to sporting weapons in Europe-- the only component considered worth saving was the barrel.