Spanish Matchlock Musket

This Spanish musket was likely made circa-1530 in Madrid, Spain and was intended to be used with a forked rest.

Early 16th Century Spanish Martial Match-Lock Musket (single-shot/ muzzle-loading/ black powder/ ball ammunition) With a smooth-bore barrel, this early musket originated in Spain. It is ignited by smoldering cord held in a match-lock's serpentine arm. Match-locks were inexpensive to fabricate, easy to repair, and quick to load. They do, however, extinguish in the rain, can be seen at night, and are inaccurate. In 1535, Spanish muskets became the first firearm adopted by a nation as its primary military arm. Spanish fever for colonization started in the Carribean and continued in North America for over two hundred years. In 1565 Spain used match-locks to establish the first permanent settlement in what would become the United States at St. Augustine, Florida. Spain continued to rely on match-lock muskets even after better arms had been invented. -- Dr. William L. Roberts, THE AMERICAN LIBERTY COLLECTION; #2