PDF on period knives and handles.

http://www.manuellisaparty.com/articles/pfd's/Some%20Thoughts%20on%20Butchers.pdf

Some Observations on the Methods by Which Pirates Carry'd Weapons, With Illustrations.

Some Observations on the Methods by Which
Pirates Carry'd Weapons,
With Illustrations.

The Pirate Brethren Articles on The Art of Reenacting.

http://www.piratebrethren.com/articles/weaponrigs/weaponrigs01.html

Plus some images I have collected.

Pistol with belt hook.

http://www.vallejogallery.com/item.php?id=1896

To answer Keith H. Burgess's question specifically about the Blackbeard image - an artist hired by the author of Charles Johnson's "General History of Piracy" in 1724 used a description in Johnson's text to create the image. The problem is that no other document corroborates Johnson's description. Johnson's work with Blackbeard is highly questioned since there are plenty of questionable or outright proven wrong parts of the Blackbeard chapter - not to mention that none of Johnson's descriptions of any pirate captains have ever been corroborated. There is a strong chance that Johnson invented his description of Blackbeard from thin air. I cover this issue at the end of my Blackbeard's Firsts article: https://csphistorical.com/.../the-firsts-of-blackbeard.../

To sum up my findings from over the years, the most common way for a sailor or pirate to carry his pistol or pistols during this time appears to be stuck into a belt or girdle, often with the aid of a belt hook. The use of holsters should be approached with great caution - the evidence regarding them is sketchy and not well understood as of this time. I tend to see a bias in people these days towards trying to come up with holsters since our society has been so engulfed in American Westerns where practically all guns are kept in holsters. The most accurate thing to do is to simply stick to having pistols in belts/girdles.

David Fictum.
(My thanks to David Fictum & Matty Bottles for their contribution to this blog post).

Keith.

Image: What Not To Do! Photo with kind permission of Matty Bottles.

A Brescian Brass-Mounted Flintlock Blunderbuss.

A Brescian brass-mounted flintlock blunderbuss with elliptical muzzle by Picin Frusca of Brescia. Early 18th century. Steel barrel 54cm engraved at breech and signed “Lazaro Lazarino”. Engraved and signed lock. Molded highly figured stock, folding butt en suit with sprung release button behind escutcheon. Cast and chased brass mounts comprising pierced foliate side plate, belt plate and trigger guard with shaped panels within raised borders and each with foliate finials. Scroll trigger, iron belt hook with ring shaped mount and foliate finials and original brass tipped ramrod.

http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5198;

Flintlock blunderbuss by GE Kope Wangen, circa 1750.

Flintlock blunderbuss by GE Kope Wangen, circa 1750. 

http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2581;

More On Gun Control. Best video I have seen to date. PLEASE SHARE.

The best 7 minutes of gun control speech.

This is the BEST and smartest gun argument I have heard yet...THIS MUST GO VIRAL!!!

Posted by Rik Sexton on Thursday, 28 March 2013

Port Arthur Massacre - GUNMEN named! CORRUPTION!!!

The Port Arthur Massacre has been used as an excuse by the government & the anti-gun lobby for the initial gun buy-back & for further restrictions to firearms & ammunition ever since. This massacre was orchestrated it seems by the Australian Federal government in order to place firearms restrictions on law abiding licensed Australian citizen gun owners!!! Innocent people slaughtered & an innocent person blamed for the massacre. Even muzzle-loading guns have had restrictions placed on them. Historical Reenactors now have to purchase a special permit!!! Gunpowder/Black Powder has restrictions!!!
WAKE UP AUSTRALIA.

Firearms Legislation !!! A Message to all anti-gun people.

Wilderness Living 8 A Woodsman's Tools By Keith H Burgess. Video.

My Finished Plug Bayonet.

I decided to make a plug Bayonet for my 20 gauge fusil. This gauge is fairly small, so the bayonet needs a small handle. I started making a wooden handle, and then had an idea. Why not use a corn cob handle?
So I did.

My corn cob handled Hunting Plug Bayonet.

Australian Firearms Legislation & our Rights as Law Abiding Citizens.

Just think about this, let us just for a minute pretend that the only guns we were allowed to use in Australia were flintlock muzzle-loading guns. Bear in mind that right now, this government groups muzzle-loading guns in with breach-loading guns, same registrations requirements, same licence requirements. Did you know that the special advisory committee for firearms legislation does not exist? That's right, they let us believe that they were taking advice from experts. I wrote to the powers that be, and I said, how come you have a special advisory committee and yet you make the mistake of classing muzzle-loading guns along with breach-loading guns? how come a pre-1900ad flintlock muzzle-loading gun does not require registration or licence, but a post 1900ad flintlock muzzle-loading gun does require a licence and registration? No reply was forthcoming.

Now we know why, there was no special advisory committee, it never happened. They will put $5 million into gun confiscation like the gun buy back scheme, but will not finance an advisory committee to make sure we have fair and sensible gun legislation. So I reiterate, just pretend that all we have are flintlock muzzle-loading guns, nothing else. The crime rate has soared, gun crime is on the increase. Do you think they will finally see the light and give us our breach-loaders back? Not a hope! Do you think they will leave firearms legislation alone and allow us to keep our muzzle-loading guns? I very much doubt it.

Right now, because of the governments knee jerk reaction to firearms crimes, we are not allowed to answer the door with a firearm in our possession. We are not legally allowed to use a gun to protect our lives and the lives of our families unless we have already been shot! What does this say about a government? Does it sound like they care for our well being? Do they care about our safety? Do you think that our government considers that we have a right to protect ourselves and our family? If you think for one minute that our government cares about our safety and our right to pursue happiness, then you join the anti-gun brigade. But if you think that they only care about votes and making money, if you think you should have the right to defend yourself and your family, then you better start doing something right now. 

The only ones carrying knives, axes and guns on the streets right NOW, are criminals or people who fear for their own lives and are prepared to take the risk of imprisonment if they are caught. If I want to attend a Living History Rendezvous in Victoria, I have to apply for a special permit to transport my tomahawk! My wife had her multi-tool pocket knife which she used for preparing food when attending conferences away from home confiscated by police! We are not allowed to carry an ordinary single bladed pocket knife in NSW! 

I fully realise that voting for our rights to own a gun usually means voting against other preferences such as the environment, but we can only win one battle at a time. Right now we are losing on both fronts, firearms and the environment, so let's put all our efforts into one thing at a time. 

We need to legally have a right to defend ourselves, at the very least in our own homes. We need gun licence fees to be reduced, they are far too expensive. Flintlock muzzle-loading firearms need to be available off licence, no registration requirements and no special permit to acquire ( we are talking muzzle-loading here, a gun that needs a piece of rock to make it work! Give me a break!). We need assurance that we can keep the guns that we presently own legally, no more firearms legislation aimed at making it hard for law abiding citizens to own guns. Now if you think this post makes sense, then post the link around. Write a post on what you think is fair and just firearms legislation. But be realistic, be fair. There is a real problem with crimes involving firearms. We do not want to make it worse for ourselves by going off half cocked like the government. We need to give it some thought, we just want a fair go.
Regards, Keith.

Two Cautionary Tales of Gun Control

My thanks to Gorges for this link below. http://gorges-smythe.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/two-cautionary-tales-of-gun-control.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323777204578195470446855466.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

All this evidence, and still the Australian Government can't come up with fair and decent gun legislation.

Anything Goes in 18th Century Sword Fighting.

http://siftingthepast.com/2012/11/20/escrime-plate-xiv-diderot-and-dalembert-1768/

Small-sword vs Tomahawk & Longknife demo video.

Black Watch Tomahawk Fighting. Video.

Myths Of The Blunderbuss.

My thanks to http://illinoisrangersblog.blogspot.com/  for this link.

Myths Of The Blunderbuss PDF.

http://asoac.org/bulletins/96_flanigan_blunderbusses.pdf