A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Saturday 26 September 2009

The Flintlock Fusil.

.62 calibre Fusil with a steel ramrod.
.62 calibre on the left, .74 calibre Brown Bess musket ball on the right.








A leather hammer stall/boot.




The flintlock fusil is a smoothbore arm which is lighter than a musket and usually in bores from .25 cal. To .62 cal. It is a very versatile gun as it is able to digest bird shot, swan shot (Buckshot), round ball, and any combination of these three e.g. swan shot and ball or bird shot and ball or swan shot and bird shot.
The lock is larger than a rifle lock and can be used for making fire. To make fire one places a piece of tinder in the pan of the lock and closes the hammer down just as one does to fire the gun. The cock is pulled back to full cock. When the trigger is pulled the flint in the cock strikes the hammer creating sparks, which fall on the tinder in the pan. This tinder having caught the sparks is now smouldering and can be transferred to a tinder nest and blown into flame. If the tinder is too small and smouldering away too fast, you can add more tinder to the smouldering tinder.
Generally speaking non military fusils do not have a carry strap. I carry a long length of leather thong doubled and the two ends tied together. It is easy enough to form two slip loops, one at each end and slip these loops over barrel and stock to form a carry strap.

A hammer stall is a specially shaped leather cover which fits over the hammer as a safety measure. Should the trigger be accidently pulled, or if the gun should go off half-cocked, the flint in the cock will only strike the leather hammer stall/boot and the gun will not fire. I strongly suggest you fit a hammer stall/boot to your flintlock gun. If you add a light leather thong to the hammer stall you can tie it off to the trigger guard so it will always be handy and cannot be lost.
If you have any questions relating to muzzle-loading arms or anything related to 18th century Living History or Historical Trekking please contact me.

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