questions about Taiwanese matchlocks

[KuKulzA28]

Hey y'all, so I contacted the Peabody-Essex Museum... looks like they're in a period of expansion and have cut down drastically on collection visits.

However, Gordon at the PEM has graciously taken some pics for me. I will of course be looking to schedule a visit regardless.

According to him:

"The matchlock rifle is described as follows in its original 1911 catalogue entry: "very long barrel, no trigger guard or sights, hammer lashed on. Short stock, varnished with black decorations, curves down like big pistol grip." Its dimensions are recorded as: length, barrel: 126.5 cm; stock: 26 cm; muzzle to butt: 149.5 cm. The work in question was donated in 1911 by a Rimpei Otsu or Taihoku, Formosa. A quick internet search suggests that Otsu served as the Superintendent of the Bureau of Aboriginal Affairs in the Government of Formosa during Japanese colonial rule. "

[rickystl]

Hey!! Thanks for the pics. The gun is really different than I expected.
STOCK: Appears from the photos it's one-piece. But the severity of the bend and the length of the pistol grip are more than I expected. Wonder how they did this ?
BARREL: Appears from the photos that it is octagon at the breech and round - but not tapered - for the rest of the length.

I don't really see a pan on the barrel. And can't really figure out how the trigger/serpentine action works.

Please do keep us updated after your eventual visit. Building a copy could turn out most interesting. Thanks for the pics.

Rick

[Philip]

Hey Ricky,
Can't believe this is the same gun I handled at the Peabody-Essex a decade ago. Seems to have deteriorated. It was once in functioning condition. Note that the serpentine is detached and of course the connecting cord is busted. Hard to determine from these low-res pics where exactly it was once attached. And yes, don't see any provision for a pan either. Looking through the images in Stone's GLOSSARY I see that they are very low-res and provide no further detail. The caption does, however, mention that the stock is held by one capucine, and by a key-bolt under the tang. The latter is a very interesting feature that these online images DO show, it's an ingenious solution in a culture without screw-cutting technology. I've seen some very similar barrel-attachment methods on some Malay and Sri Lankan guns. Let me call my buddy in San Diego and try and get him to take better pics of his example. He had a plumbing leak affecting a couple rooms of the house and things have been a mess this last month or so.

[Philip]

The illustration in Stone, and my recollections from handling the piece, indicate a very rudimentary mechanism (which is unfortunately damaged at present, the serpentine is separated from the gun). The trigger hangs from a pin driven transversely through the stock, through a neatly-chiseled rectangular mortise opening on the underside. A piece of cord, tied through a hole at the approximate midpoint of the exposed part of the trigger, attaches to the shank of the serpentine which is located ahead of the trigger by a few inches. Serpentine rotates on a pivot pin, and swings back (towards shooter) to reach the pan. So pulling the trigger back also moves the serpentine backward via the cord. It doesn't get any simpler than that. I did not see any provision for a return spring for either trigger or serpentine, as would be the case with a European sear-action matchlock, or a Turco-Persian style lock (common also in India, Tibet, and most of China).

So presumably, the shooter had to manually reposition the serpentine in its forward, away-from-the-pan position after shooting. I remember it being fairly loose on the original gun, but for safety and ease of handling, the reproduction lock should have a modicum of "tightness" to the pivoting action so the arm (and lit match) don't go flopping back and forth as the gun is handled in the field. This is also a consideration since I don't recall there being a pivoting cover attached to the pan. The degree of pressure holding the serpentine in any given position should not, of course, be enough to make operation of the trigger inconvenient.

[rickystl]

Hi Philip.

Thanks for the explanation. Now I understand. As you mention, it doesn't get any simpler than that. LOL I think the most difficult part of building the replica is finding a stock blank WIDE enough to accommodate that length. Good, clear photos of the lock area will be needed. Would make for an interesting build.

Rick

[ward]

I would suggest you find a tree limb roughly shaped to what you want. It was probably steam bent at the time. If you cut the form out of a plank like pine and use it the first time it gets to much pressure it is going to crack along the grain.