A 1548 Nuremberg Dagger-grip Over-and-Under Double Wheellock Pistol

[Marcus den toom]

I am starting to learn Michael
I was away this weekend, but Saturday the postman brought my book "Superimposed load firearms by Baxter", you where right abut that one, i will be reading till next year

Raf, i myself have thought about this subject. It seems at some points strange that the wheel lock was developed at all, High cost, maintenance and the need for skilled blacksmiths are reasons to suspect a different outcome.
My thoughts about this are that in the time the iginition systems where developed, the Italian empirre was one of the leading authorities in art and science (talking abut the beginning of the Renaisance). Italy was at war with France and Spain during the turn of the century (1500). Thus the need for new firearms (better firearms win wars).
I have no information as of yet about the geological places of flint. But i do now that the coast of France and Spain are covered with this material. This would make it easier for these countries to develope a flintstriking mechanism.
The italians had to come up with something else i think because of the lack of flint (assumption!!). Pyrith, used for wheel locks, has to be scraped by a piece of iron to create sparks, if you would just strike a piece of pyrith it would crumble without effect. Thus a rotating wheel or even earlier, a horizontal bar with a rough surface to scrape a pyrith stone, forgot the name of this device .

As i already stated, this is just a assumption, some good old facts would do us good .

[Raf]

I was tempted to suggest that the earliest wheelocks might have been created by crossbow makers. On the not unreasonable assumption that they had (once) been at the forefront of mechanising the weapons of mass destruction and had most to loose from the development of firearms . And therefore the most to gain. Transferring the technology is not that difficult to imagine. A sort of proto- wheelock using a thong wound around an axel powered by a large spring which is half a crossbow prod. The crossbow nut forming the basis for the wheel and the release mechanism. The experiment might have been sufficiently encouraging to suggest it was worth developing and the rest , as they say , is history. All the earliest wheelocks we know are combined with crossbows but we don't , as far as I know see combined crossbows and matchlocks .

There may well be something in the flint / pyrites argument . My personal feeling is that the two systems must have developed at more or less the same time , but we just don't seem to be able to find the evidence .

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by Marcus den toom

I am starting to learn Michael
I was away this weekend, but Saturday the postman brought my book "Superimposed load firearms by Baxter", you where right abut that one, i will be reading till next year
.

Well done, Marcus,


Excellent purchase, that one! It's so good to see when young people invest in rare books as it is a life investment!

For all others: this is the book we're talking about:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...r+superimposed


m

[Marcus den toom]

Hi Michl,


Sorry for my late reply, it slipped my attention
It is funny i should come across this post since i bought an other rare book (2 actually).
Not as complete as yours (with all your own added information), but i managed to track down the first edition of Johan F. Støckel (Haandskydevaabens bedömmelse) for a very good price.

[Matchlock]

Congrats, Marcus!

m

[Fernando K]

Hello everyone:

Speaking in this thread, just to say that the loose lock Dresden Armoury Museum I think is a recent reproduction. I think I see no piece forged, but constructed from a mass, conveniently cut even formed with a shaper. Even the screw thread that closes the jaws is perfect as that achieved the lathe or with a modern tool for threading. Even I see a perfecion settings between the different parts, as now would accomplish an actual adjuster ....

Is it so?

Affectionately. Fernando K

(Sorry for the translator)

[Matchlock]

Hi Fernando K,

Are you talking about this detached mechanism?

Best,
Michael

[Fernando K]

atchlock:

Yes

Fernando K