At last ... a blunderbuss with a bronze barrel

[Philip]

Originally Posted by corrado26

This safety catch is very interesting and certainly unique in the field of flintlock- or percussion firearns but it is certainly not better than a dog catch behind the cock. Both systems have the same effect - stopping the fall of the cock. A stopper in front of the cock was later in use at the Austrian cavalry pistol M 1862 and at the Hessian cavalry pistol M 1822/46. During the flintlock aera thre was a similar system in use with the shooters carbine 1817 of Württemberg
corrado26

Udo, thanks for posting pics of a similar concept seen on the locks of some military firearms from Germanic states, of which I am much less familiar with than with those of southern Europe. Am I correct in assuming that all the examples in your post also utilize half-cock detents on their tumblers?

It's interesting to speculate why the apparent resurgence of a frontally-acting "brake" or stop at such a late date, at least on a few models of guns, a century or so after the rear-mounted dog catch fell out of general use. What are your ideas on this? If you have personal experience in shooting flint or percussion guns with locks fitted with these external stops, what are your impressions of the functionality and ease-of-use of such devices?