An (other) hand cannon ... with marks

[fernando]

Hi Michael, thank you for the input

Originally Posted by Matchlock

... hoping to be protected from evil - either the gun exploding or an attacking enemy...

It is amazing how people non initiated in early firearms history seem not to believe that the risk of guns exploding in the gunners faces was extremely high. I have read in more that one source that many a times gunners were selected among convicted guys .

Originally Posted by Matchlock

...I include images of two heavy Late Gothic wrought iron barrels in my collection, each ca. 35 cm long; one of them is struck with a group of three circles and illegible stylized letters (date?!) surmounted by a cross.
The other shows a cudely incised cross symbol right before the raised brim of the touch hole moulding ...

Fascinating. I had already noticed the circles in that cannon of yours, but haven't discerned the cross.
That beats by far the humble mark in my example
Fernando