A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Saturday 5 March 2016

UPDATE On Petition. Please Sign.




Some Facts About Muzzle-Loading Pistols.
Living Historians will always praise the workings of a muzzle-loading gun, because we have gone to the trouble over some years to learn how to make these primitive tools work. But the average person first acquiring a muzzle-loader is not likely to get much satisfaction out of it.
If the weather is damp then a muzzle-loader may not work because Black Powder attracts moisture & it may not take fire. If it is raining you have to first take a little tallow (rendered & cleaned animal fat) & sparingly smear it around the joints of the pan to help keep the water out. Then you need to use a cow’s knee lock cover (or similar shaped piece of leather) to place over the whole gun lock to keep the rain out. Of course in order to then fire this gun, you have to remove the lock cover & fire as quickly as you can before the lock gets wet.
There are many other skills to learn before you can use a muzzle-loading gun, & unless you are a lover of these guns you are not likely to bother learning the skills. Matchlocks & tinderlocks require a lit burning fuse to be attached to the gun to make it fire. Can you imagine trying to hide one of these in your pocket or under your clothing without catching yourself on fire?!!! Yet these primitive tools are considered a danger to the public & are placed on a restricted H class licence. Why? Simply because the people who make these laws know nothing about these muzzle-loaders & very little about any other firearms; Smoothbore muzzle-loaders require a B class licence in NSW, but smoothbore breach loading shotguns of modern manufacture only require an A class licence! Does this make any sense to you?

You may not be a lover of guns, you may not be a Living Historian or a Historical Re-enactor, but to us that are, these guns are an important part of what we do, an important part of our hobby & enjoyment. Please sign this petition to allow us to acquire these primitive guns on a B class licence which will allow us to carry these muzzle-loaders during club activities (even though they will not be loaded with live ammunition, only blanks when in public displays). Obviously they are not a risk to the general public, they can not be obtained without a licence & there are strict “reasons for purchase” rules that apply to a B class licence.
Thank you
Keith H. Burgess.

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