Original 18th Century Spanish Escopeta Miquelet Flintlock Musket – Brass Mounted in Attic Find Condition Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely Spanish Flintlock Musket known as an Escopeta, made with a MIQUELET lock, a predecessor / alternative to the standard flint lock design in use throughout most of Europe. It shows typical mid 18th Century rough construction using all brass mounts, with sling swivels mounted on the left side. As Spain maintained many colonies at that time these muskets were scattered All over the globe and as a result are very hard to find today.

Measuring about 55 1/2 inches in overall length, the barrel is 40 inches long and part-octagonal, with a bore of about .69 of an inch. The musket comes with a replacement ramrod, and is overall in “attic find” condition. The wood stock is in great shape with a lovely polished look, however the steel and iron components of this Escopeta have unfortunately suffered from oxidation over the centuries. The trigger is currently frozen, so while the hammer on the lock does pull back and lock into place, the half and full cock latches need to be pushed back in by hand at present. The frizzen spring is also broken, and there is surface rust on a lot of the lock components.

A very nice “attic found” example of an obsolete firing system, ready to restore of display as is!

Specifications: 

Years of Manufacture: Circa 1750-60
Caliber: .79″ Musket
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 40 inches
Overall Length: 55.5 inches
Action: Flintlock Miquelet
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

History of the Miquelet Lock:
Miquelet lock is a modern term used by collectors and curators, largely in the English-speaking world, for a type of firing mechanism used in muskets and pistols. It is a distinctive form of snaplock, originally as a flint-against-steel ignition form, once prevalent in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Balkans, North Africa, Ottoman Empire and throughout Spain’s colonies from the late 16th to the mid 19th centuries. Later they were seen in percussion form, either as originally produced, or converted.

The term miquelet lock was not recorded until the 19th century, long after the appearance of the mechanism in the 16th century, and is of uncertain origin. One commonly held view is that it was coined by British troops in the Peninsular War to describe the style of musket used by the Miquelet (militia) that had been assigned to the Peninsular Army of the Duke of Wellington.

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