The Japanese Matchlock

Continued

There were 2 main differences between the Japanese matchlock and it's European counterpart. The Japanese matchlock was fired from the cheek and was not even equipped with a butt stock. The second was that the cock or serpentine of the Japanese weapon fell away from the shooter to ignite the priming powder. There were other subtle differences but these are the most obivous. The overall length of the model shown is 40 inches. It has a width of 2 1/8 inches from top to bottom at the widest point and is 1 1/2 inches wide from side to side at the widest point. It has a ball and stem styled trogger. the trigger guard is formed from heavy brass rod. The lockplate, cock, and all external furniture is made of brass. There is no screws, the lock, tang, and external cock spring are pinned in place with brass pins. The flash pan is also brass and has a brass hinged pan cover for safety after being primed. The gun is full stocked except forthe last 1 3/8 inches at the muzzle. The ramrod channel is enclosed except for the last 2 3/8 inches at the muzzle end. The ramrod is not capped, but has a brass band at the ramming end, to give extra support and to save it from compression during loading. The serpentine or cock is "S" shaped and is 5 1/2 inches long, flattened and rolled into a tube at the contact end to hold the matchcord. A external brass main spring controls the action of the cock, it is not as strong as a large musket spring, which does slow down the fall of the cock, but still does the job. The slowness of the action must be considered when firing. The barrel is .54 caliber, octagon shaped, with 1/2 inch across the flats. It has a 1:72 twist ratio, and fires a .530 lead ball.

The rear sight, (a side view), it is long which makes aiming difficult. When fired a lot heat wave causes a lot of distortion because of this.

The front sight is a standard shaped blade. Put in backwards

The area inletted for the lock, very small compared to other guns of the times.

The internal workings of the Japanese Snapping Matchlock.

A fired patch from the Matchlock. Note the star pattern on the inside. This is formed by the riflings of the barrel. The patch is forced into the riflings to form a good tight gas seal. Which improves accuracy and increases power. The inner rings are scorch marks from the edges of the ball stopping the explosion of the powder. Notice they are not as dark as the star pattern. the gas seal was not as tight with the ball.

Would you like to know about the American Civil War LeMat Revolver?

Would you like to know about the European Fishtailed Matchlock?

Would you like to know more? Take a look at the Matchlock Shooters Guide

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