WEATHERPROOFING THE FLINTLOCK
ONE of the biggest drawbacks of using a flintlock gun on the sporting field was weather proofing. As readers will well know, you cannot guarantee the weather will be benign when out on a shoot. Modern sporting guns can easily deal with such inclement weather but for the flintlock of the 18th and 19th century it was a different story. The biggest drawback was having to use loose priming powder; priming powder could easily get damp and not work, or be blown away by a gust of wind as you are about to shoot. Solutions to this dilemma were eagerly sought and several innovative designs were offered by the gunmaker.
One of the solutions for weatherproofing was to enclose the mechanism, either inside the gun or by providing some sort of cover. In the collections of the Royal Armouries are examples of both, but this article is about the latter technique.
This example is a double-barrelled flintlock sporting gun by Nicholas Bouilliet. Bouilliet was a Parisienne gunmaker who is recorded as working from around 1760 until about 1800, with this gun being made around 1780. It was made in the classic French manner with the 32in barrels produced by one of the best barrelmaking families in France, the Leclerc family (1764-1833), who also provided barrels for that icon of French gunmaking, Nicholas-noël Boutet. The barrels are part octagonal and gold damascened on the breech-end with trophies and foliage. The butt has that bellied look associated with French sporting guns of the late-18th century with a padded leather cheek rest. The stock is carved with representations of foliage around the breech-strap and the steel mounts are engraved with foliage and trophies.
But what makes this gun unique and interesting is the clever design Bouilliet has created for weatherproofing the locks. He has built steel boxes that entirely enclose the lock work on each side of the gun. Clearly this not only provides shelter from inclement weather but has the advantage of hiding the flash of the priming powder from startling any quarry. As this device was designed to enclose the locks, the cocking of the locks in preparation for use is therefore done by external means, in this case by using two levers that project downwards in front of the trigger-guard that can be pulled to the rear. There are also hinged traps in the side of each box, which, being springloaded, fly open when the cocks descend to allow the smoke of the priming powder to escape. These traps also permit access for the shooter to both prime his pans and set the steels over those pans.
Although apparently effective, its popularity appears to have been small as this is the only example so far found. The issue of weatherproofing would always bedevil the flintlock and really effective weatherproofing would not appear on the sporting field until after 1807 and the introduction of the percussion system.
The Bouilliet gun can be viewed by appointment at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, the national museum of arms and armour. To check current opening times, call 0113 220 1916 or visit: royalarmouries.org