18th Century Musket Replica

18th Century musket replica that would have been carried by Spanish colonial soldiers (or soldados). The flintlock Musket was invented sometime around the 1620s and is made up to three major components; The lock, stock and barrel. The lock is of the flintlock type and the Spanish called them “llave de chispa” (Spark Lock) Two type of locks were prevalent ; Spanish style (llave de chispa de patilla” (now called Miguelete lock) which is an older design and the French style. A sharp flint stone was held in place on the hammer with a jaw vise. Spanish guns typically had a ring on the jaw screw while others had a slotted screw head. The ring made it easier to turn the screw by hand. The stock was usually a hardwood. The military barrels were smooth bored. Rifles existed, but they took too long to load. The military wanted speed.