21 - Matchlock pistol of Asian type, probably a reproduction, with tapering round barrel and curved butt

Matchlock pistol of Asian type, probably a reproduction, with tapering round barrel and curved butt Iron and wood. Matchlock pistol of Asian type, probably a reproduction, cal. 17 mm. The long, conically tapering round barrel of iron is fixed to the stock with several pins and ends in a stepped, ring-shaped flared muzzle. Ignition is by an external, hand-swung S-shaped match holder (serpentine) without match clamp and without lock plate; simple trigger lever without trigger guard. The stock of oak is worked into a strongly curved, downward-pointing butt, the surface refinished; on the stock the number “349”. The iron ramrod lies in the stock groove under the barrel. Barrel and serpentine cleaned, with patchy corrosion and pitting, mechanism functional. Please inspect. L. 37 cm The matchlock is the oldest mechanical ignition on hand-held firearms: a smouldering match is swung into the priming pan by a lever. In Europe it was superseded by the flintlock in the 17th century, whereas in large parts of Asia it remained in use into the 19th century, because it was simple to make and to maintain. Outside Japan, handguns with match ignition survive in far smaller numbers than long guns. The pistol is a muzzle-loader with match ignition. Under German weapons law, it may be acquired without a licence from the age of 18.