Matchlock Build

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I have always wanted one... a Matchlock.
I have looked at Kits and completed weapons and just kept getting sidetracked.
So some time ago I thought... here I live in a city that was chartered in 1540 (Arequipa, Peru) and I do not have a smokepole representative of what the 2Invaders" used to subdue a nation. Probably a Serpentine type. So I started hunting material (Barrel steel) and then remembered where I live. Socialist Peru.
I made a visit to the local Explosives and Arms office and explained my desire. Picture in hand I explained my simple desire to recreat a model of an arm that was possible used by invaders.
Well to keep it short there eventually was Good and BAD news. The Good was yes I could build it. The Bad... I would have to register as an Arms manufacturer ($1000) . There would be other liscences and fees to Pay. There would be routine inspections of the "factory". There would be.....
So the next time you want to build a firearm... REJOICE you live in the United States of America...
Mike in Peru

[FL-Flinter]

Mike,

My heart goes out to you because Peru is one of my favorite places and if it wasn't for the illogical political ideas of your leaders, I'd already have been living there since 1994 ... then again, we also seem to have an abundance of idiots with illogical political ideas in this country too! Rest assured, if things continue on the path they are headed, we will no longer have a constitutional rights or freedoms either. [smilie=b:

I hate to sound like I'm rubbing it in because that's not my intent but matchlock's and handgonne's are a lot of fun and they don't get much notice except with those who are dedicated to reenacting the time periods of their use. The serpentine lock is not that difficult to build, building it so it works smoothly is the trick. Of course it would be nice to use the modern benefits of micro-needle bearing cam followers and such but that just takes away from the nostalgia to the point where you may as well just shoot a Mauser and be done with it. I've built a few matchlocks, I built the first lock about a six times before I got the geometry the way I liked it. Making the slowmatch adds another dimension to the overall experience - I have confess though, most of the time I purchased the slowmatch because I just didn't have enough time to do everything.

I don't currently have a matchlock to my name, when my body crapped out, most everything got sold to keep the bills paid. :( I've got enough thing put away to build another one ... everything but time ....

[mooman76]

Would you have the same trouble if you just bought a rifle kit?

[waksupi]

I've kinda got the same itch. I have the prototype #1 handgonne from North Star West, and am converting it to matchlock. It should be an interesting addition to the smooth bore matches this summer.

[missionary5155]

Would you have the same trouble if you just bought a rifle kit?

Good morning Yes again on TROUBLE. It is ruled as manufacture. I have looked into importation before and the easiest route is to buy the assembled serial #ed arm, preregister it while here, go fetch it, leave it at the Gun Office in Lima so they can play with it for 3 months, return to Lima Office and walk away. ALL things that spit boolits are classed equally.
Oh well... back to making spears and knives. Two more months.