Info Favorites Register Log in
myArmoury.com Discussion Forums

Forum index Memberlist Usergroups Spotlight Topics Search
Forum Index > Historical Arms Talk > An unusual firearm Reply to topic
This is a standard topic  
Author Message
Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin


myArmoury Admin

PostPosted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 11:13 pm    Post subject: An unusual firearm         Reply with quote

I was hoping some of the resident firearms enthusiasts around here could shed some light on the following item for me.

I honestly don't know what else to say about this thing. It looks as though Salvador Dali created it.

From the card I know that it resides in the Dresden Historisches Museum and dates circa 1588.

What is it? I'm curious if it is supposed to rest on the stand on which it sits in the photo. Is this some sort of target shooting firearm? Do tell!



 Attachment: 43.42 KB
MI10055g03a.jpg
An unusual firearm

.:. Visit my Collection Gallery :: View my Reading List :: View my Wish List :: See Pages I Like :: Find me on Facebook .:.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Gregory J. Liebau




Location: Dinuba, CA
Joined: 27 Nov 2004

Posts: 669

PostPosted: Tue 11 Sep, 2007 11:53 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It looks to me like an early Petronel, which is I believe a gun of French origin. These were designed to be held against the chest, and the example I have a diagram of is dated from 1575, is matchlock and is highly decorated. But the stock is not quite so large at the butt, so I assume this may just be a difference between makers.

EDIT: Actually, I found a page displaying almost exactly the same weapon I was describing to you, which came from a description in Weapons, An International Encyclopedia... Here's the page I found: French Petronel



Continuing my research, in George Stone's Glossary... of Arms and Armour there's a decent description of these weapons~

Petronel, Petrinal, Poitrinal. A firearm of the 16th century intermediate in size between the pistol and the arquebus. It was short but of large caliber and heavy. It had a peculiarly curved stock and was fired with the butt against the chest, from qhich practice it derives its name. (Grose I, 105, Planche 394.)

The book shows an image (Figure 634) of a wheel lock petronel that's from Germany and in the Metropolitan Museum.

-Gregory-

My Flickr Galleries - Travel, Nature & Things
View user's profile Send private message
Lin Robinson




Location: NC
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Likes: 6 pages
Reading list: 6 books

Posts: 1,241

PostPosted: Wed 12 Sep, 2007 3:40 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I agree with Gregory that it is a petronel. The ignition system is a wheel lock.

The display stand is just that. As Gregory said, these guns were braced against the chest when fired and so, even if they had some inherent accuracy, the shooter would not be able to take advantage of it because of the awkward method of holding it.

Lin Robinson

"The best thing in life is to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women." Conan the Barbarian, 1982
View user's profile Send private message
Gordon Frye




Location: Kingston, Washington
Joined: 20 Apr 2004
Reading list: 15 books

Spotlight topics: 2
Posts: 1,191

PostPosted: Wed 12 Sep, 2007 10:00 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Nathan;

Yup, a Petronel, with a German wheellock fitted to it. They were often used as cavalry carbines, per Sir Roger Williams, Sir John Smythe and various county ordnances in England. At times such light cavalry were even refered to as "Petronels" by English authors.

(BTW, such smaller weapons as this (i.e. smaller than an arquebus) were carried by cavalrymen in holsters on the saddle, just like a pistol would have been carried. There are several illustrations of this, most notably from Jost Amman.)

Interestingly, the French used this style of stock for all sorts of firearms, up to and including the full-on Musket. Sir Roger Williams rails against this, stating that the recoil is too much to abide if "held against the pap", and strongly encourages the use of the Spanish-style stock, which is rested against the right shoulder (and is the fore-father of modern gunstocks).

VERY nifty petronel, though! I like it! Gotta put that on my list of "Cool things to Get". Happy

Cheers!

Gordon

"After God, we owe our victory to our Horses"
Gonsalo Jimenez de Quesada
http://www.renaissancesoldier.com/
http://historypundit.blogspot.com/
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger


Display posts from previous:   
Forum Index > Historical Arms Talk > An unusual firearm
Page 1 of 1 Reply to topic
All times are GMT - 8 Hours

View previous topic :: View next topic
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum






All contents © Copyright 2003-2024 myArmoury.com — All rights reserved
Discussion forums powered by phpBB © The phpBB Group
Switch to the Basic Low-bandwidth Version of the forum