ALGERIAN FLINTLOCK LONG GUN

[stenoyab]

Hi Rick,

Got the lock out.

Be interested to know if you think it is made in Europe or North Africa now you can see more.

Jeff

[rickystl]

Hi Jeff.

Hmmm......it's really a bit hard to tell if Europen or a locally made copy. Notice the three (3) screw lock. Which is a very early feature like a Snaphaunce. Often the screws are a clue on the inside of the lock. But hard to tell here. But I'm going out on a limb here and say it was originally a European made lock. Only because I've never seen a locally made "copy" of a Portuguese lock. It is very cool !!!

Rick.

[Philip]

Ricky and Sten,

Thanks for posting photos of the interior and exterior of your locks. Mechanically, what you guys have is a Portuguese hybrid design called "fecho meio a portuguesa e meio a francesa" -- a lock half in the Portuguese style, half French. These were in vogue during the latter 17th and into the following century.

The Portuguese component consists of what you see on the exterior: a miquelet-style hammer with pivoting dog and the odd angular frizzen-spring. These are derived from the purely Portuguese "fecho de molinhas" or spring lock, which first appeared in the closing decades of the 16th cent. and remained popular for another 175 years in Portugal. The molinhas lock boasted a rather complex sear arrangement which was probably influenced by earlier Iberian wheellocks. The important thing to note is that the molinhas always had an internal mainspring; there is another Portuguese lock called the "fecho de anselmo" which has a large exterior spring which presses downward like that of the Italian "alla romana" locks, but don't let me get carried away and start confusing you!

The French component is what you see inside the lockplate. The "guts" are those of the classic "French" flintlock which was to become the norm in most of Western Europe, plus Britain and America, from the late 17th through early 19th centuries. Note here that the Portuguese version incorporates the French mechanism at its earliest and most unrefined level of development -- the tumbler is not supported by a bridle as with later locks. This has functional consequences since it makes the mechanism prone to falling out of adjustment as parts wear down with repeated use.

The indigenous flintlocks of Portugal are unique in a number of respects, with no exact parallels outside the country. For one reason or another, they never gained traction outside the country, and even in their birthplace the French flintlock along with Italian and Spanish-style miquelets were to eclipse all of them as the 18th cent. wore on. Contrast this to the Castilian miquelet "de patilla" which was used throughout the Ottoman Empire and Iran, or the Spanish "agujeta" lock which you see on the majority of Algerian guns.

However, enough of the fechos de molinhas and the Luso-French hybrids were on guns brought by the Portuguese to sub-saharan Africa that factories in Liege, Belgium which produced cheap trade guns for the African market before World War I also cranked out very rough versions of these locks for export. One of the locks in your photos, the rather newish-looking one, is undoubtedly from this production.

[Philip]

Is it of European or African manufacture?
The shape of the lockplate is somewhat odd considering the mechanical type. In my post I identified it as a half Portuguese, half French hybrid. Original versions of this system, made in Portugal, tend to have the banana-shaped lockplates characteristic of French, or "true" flintlocks. You'll recognize the plate shape as something seen on, say, a Brown Bess lockplate, just to give an example.

The plate on your lock does not have this smooth banana profile, it has the protruding bulges typical of the earlier "fecho de molinhas". Not only that, the original molinhas locks have the rearmost bulge extended into a tapering, rounded tail. The shape of this posterior profile is necessitated by the design of the molinhas sear system which I have said is derived from wheellock sears. Your lock, which is the hybrid, has a stubbier tail; the French sear and spring don't take up as much room and a much shorter plate is needed. The nod to an earlier style of lockplate is more aesthetic than functional. The whole thing gives the impression of an artisan or manufacturer trying to get the best of both worlds -- the simpler French interior mechanism with the more traditional-looking or archaistic molinhas lockplate shape.

Based on this, I don't think that the lock is Portuguese, of the period when the system was in vogue in its homeland. If it's a Liege knockoff for the colonial trade, I would think that the major parts would be largely shaped by machine. Is the lockplate of uniform thickness throughout? Are the surfaces more or less even (albeit with file or machining marks) or is there evidence of hand forging (perhaps with some mill scale visible) that one would expect out of a native smithy? Do the screw threads look like they were cut by taps and dies, or are they hand-filed? Any stampings or markings? Answering these questions is a start in trying to figure out its origin.

[rickystl]

Hi Phillip.
Thanks so much for jumping in this Thread and lending your expertise. Great information! I've now added to my knowledge on this lock style. And I understand what your saying ref the earliest French style internals and the exterior Portuguese styling. Between about 1570 and 1650 there were so many changes, variations, etc. with lock design. This is the first time I've been able to view an early styled Portuguese lock. So, myself, being an honorary member of the arcane lock club, Jeff's lock is very exiting to see LOL
JEFF'S LOCK: Due to the dark patina it's a bit hard to tell in the photos, but the lock looks like it's a forging. Again, I can't tell from the photo if there is a full cock notch on the tumbler? Or maybe it is worn down. Maybe Jeff can tell us if the hammer will cock or not? And the "dog" style safety appears to be functional.
SOUTH AFRICAN TRADE LOCK: The one I have above is a casting, except for the mainspring. Which is not surprising. Also, what would be the safety in front of the hammer is actually just a hammer stop. This lock was made with the least possible cost of production. Didn't even bother to polish out the castings. LOL

Jeff's lock could very well be a locally made copy, or Europen made for export. But as you mentioned, the threads on the lock, etc. could give us better clues. You would think with all the early styled snaphaunce and miquelet locks utilized on these guns, that more than one or two would show up utilizing the Portuguese styled lock. But then, as Phillip mentions, the Portuguese styled lock never really caught on outside it's homeland. Which may be why we don't see them. So maybe I'm answering my own question.

Jeff: Thanks again for posting this lock. Much appreciated. Feel free to post any additional photos while the lock is off the gun. LOL

Rick.

[stenoyab]

Thank you for the interesting info Phillip.

I tend to think mine is no earlier than mid 1850's due to overall condition, but obviously the lock could be earlier.

It cocks and fires fine and the safety catch works to hold the hammer back.

If you look at the screws the slots are very much off centre,

Heres some close up photos of the rear of the lock.

[Philip]

The above detail photos are much appreciated! And thanks, Sten, for the comments on how well yours works. The clarification regarding the "thingie"in front of the cock is most useful, based on that I need to amend my prior post slightly in order to keep things straight:
1. If the projection is a functioning manual safety, (as opposed to a hammer-stop as you'd find on, say, a Scottish snaphaunce, then the proper term for this type of lock is indeed "fecho meio à portuguesa e meio à francesa" as I have said earlier.
HOWEVER--

2. If it is an immobile stop for the cock's forward fall AND IS NOT A PIVOTING SAFETY PAWL, then the lock is called a "fecho de nò" or "knot lock". This is a simpler predecessor to the portuguesa/francesa type and was known as early as the second half of the 17th cent. So the later, possibly Liege-made lock for the African colonial trade in the previous pics is a last-gasp manifestation of the knot lock.

You might be interested in what the Portuguese thought of these locks back in the day, judging from the opinions of the smiths who wrote ESPINGARDA PERFEYTA (by C. Fiosconi and J. Guserio, in Lisbon 1718):

"[knot locks are not] capable of being fired in the air (i.e. muzzle elevated) since they are too stiff when pulling the trigger, and if it be wished to make them softer (i.e. easier to cock), they also become unsafe and easily uncock themselves, since the mechanism has only two parts of poor shape, and if many persons make use of them, it is because they are cheaper."

"Locks which are half Portuguese and half French are much better than those we have described, although they are slow in uncocking (i.e. have a sluggish hammer-fall), but much more durable, having the half-cock brake in the Portuguese style, outside, for which reason they must be applied to muskets and pistols, for also with them the stock is more elegant since they lave the [lock]plates in the French style."

I agree that the version of the Portuguesa/Francesa lock on the Algerian gun in this thread looks to be a handmade native copy, not an industrially-made cheap European export product. It couldn't be all that bad, though, since it works!