This is the vintage section, so how about an all encompassing vintage thread. Your task is simple, show us your oldest firearms. Tell some stories, teach some history, share some pics; all vintage guns are welcome here.
To kick off this thread, I'd like to share something that is very old. Circa 1360-70's, approximately 650 years old! This is an original band-iron hand cannon that was found at the Aljubarrota battlefield in Portugal (the battle took place on August 14, 1385). Due to the extreme age of this firearm, only the barrel remains. It was originally mounted to a primitive stock called a "tiller," the end of which was tucked under the arm of the shooter.
There are a few older Chinese firearms, but I'm only aware of 1 older European firearm - the Loshult Gun. The Loshult Gun dates to about the 1340-50's and is much larger than this hand cannon. Aljubarrota barrels weight about 3+ pounds, whereas the Loshult Gun tips the scales close to 20 pounds. The earlier Loshult Gun is cast bronze, but the Aljubarrota guns were made from bands of iron that have been twisted and forged around a mandrel.
You can see the iron twisting in the pics below, the last pic is a composite that shows what the gun looks like "unwrapped." The 4th pic shows the inside of the barrel, with light shining through the touch hole in the rear (lol).
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loshult_Gun.jpg
To kick off this thread, I'd like to share something that is very old. Circa 1360-70's, approximately 650 years old! This is an original band-iron hand cannon that was found at the Aljubarrota battlefield in Portugal (the battle took place on August 14, 1385). Due to the extreme age of this firearm, only the barrel remains. It was originally mounted to a primitive stock called a "tiller," the end of which was tucked under the arm of the shooter.
There are a few older Chinese firearms, but I'm only aware of 1 older European firearm - the Loshult Gun. The Loshult Gun dates to about the 1340-50's and is much larger than this hand cannon. Aljubarrota barrels weight about 3+ pounds, whereas the Loshult Gun tips the scales close to 20 pounds. The earlier Loshult Gun is cast bronze, but the Aljubarrota guns were made from bands of iron that have been twisted and forged around a mandrel.
You can see the iron twisting in the pics below, the last pic is a composite that shows what the gun looks like "unwrapped." The 4th pic shows the inside of the barrel, with light shining through the touch hole in the rear (lol).
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loshult_Gun.jpg
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