Cascabel

One of my personal favorites is Roman Polanski's "PIRATES". Great characters, costumes and sets. Very entertaining !! And I also enjoyed Cutthroat island. I also watch movies to be entertained, rather than to be educated, so I don't quibble about lapses in authenticity..... Best all around pirate movie is the version of Treasure Island starring Charlton Heston as Long John Silver. >>>> Cascabel

.......And the price is ???????

First off...... You should NEVER store your guns in a gun case !!! They tend to hold moisture and humidity. Cases are designed for transporting guns, not storage. This is especially true of plastic cases and heavily padded ones. They cannot "breathe", and allow humidity to escape. If you absolutely MUST keep you guns in a case, make it one of the thin, un-padded breatheable cloth cases. An old blanket is a far better storage wrapper than any kind of ready made gun case, and cheap too !! The best rust protection for both swords and guns is a good coat of Kiwi "neutral" shoe polish. It is readily available, and stays on better than any kind of oil, being that it is a wax. Just rub on a heavy coat, let it dry, and buff lightly. It leaves the metal coated and protected for quite a while. In a salt air environment, you would be wise to check your weapons for rust periodically, and re-treat with the wax. You will also notice that when going out of an air conditioned building into a hot summer day, that moisture will quickly condense on your metal surfaces. This needs to be wiped off quickly, and also be aware that this is occurring to guns inside your nice plastic gun cases, and being trapped inside !!!! >>>>> Cascabel

I think what bothers me most is people not wearing their riding boots properly. They are not supposed to be flopping around near the ground. If you refer to period illustrations, they are folded down to the foot, and then about half is folded back up to form the open "bucket" top. This bothers me more than the fact that they are wearing boots. I dunno...... just a pet peeve of mine !!! >>>>> Cascabel

Hmmmmmm..... Kinda makes me wonder if that's how the Mercury crew got it's name !!! "Oh.... you're spitting up nasty looking black stuff..... You must be part of the MERCURY crew !!!" ;) And all this time I thought it had to do with the name of the ship....... ;) >>>>> Cascabel

I think the real issue here is the venue. The public expects to be entertained at festival type events, and arrives with that mindset. At museums and historic sites, you get a different attitude, and they want to learn. It's good to be able to do either education or entertainment, depending on the audience. I like to combine the two whenever possible to appeal to the greatest number of people. I can spend extra time on the ones that want to learn more as needed on a one to one basis. >>>>> Cascabel

I added my tuppence.....

Great info, Thanks !!

Oh Lordy !!! Stynky's moving the furniture around again...... Just when we got used to using the gallery the way it was.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it !!!! .......Or if it ain't broke, fix it until it is ???? ;)

................Okay, now that the gallery is totally scrambled, have you got any tips on how to navigate it ???? Does not seem to be very user friendly >>>> Cascabel

I had one years ago that I called "Wildebeeste", as in "will da beast start ?", "will da beast stop ?", etc. >>>>> Cascabel

Ok.... but what i meant was, would it be practical to get a holster, and strap it to your thigh. Would you be able to Draw it? Would it be difficult to pull it it out? They're basically blunderbusses, but a little shorter than some of the ones I've seen for sale. That's what got me wondering. It would be quite possible, but in my opinion, not very practical. They are fairly heavy and kinda "clunky". The barrels are only about a foot or so long. I guess to some people, there would be a certain "wow factor", but it's not something I would do myself. If I was to carry one of these, I would prefer to carry it attached to a strap so as to hang by my side like the old 1920's gangsters carried their sawed-off shotguns under their coats. I think carrying a couple of them in leg holsters is sorta like having a half-dozen or so full sized dragoon pistols hanging on you. Kinda clownish looking to me, but to each his own...... >>>>> Cascabel

As I understand it, these things were actually intended as horsemen's weapons. The idea being that they were larger and more powerful than ordinary pistols, and able to be used one-handed. One hand being required to control the horse, and the weapon being steadied by bracing it against the thigh. One-handed use on horseback makes a lot more sense than any other explanation for the design. Steadying the aim, rather than than absorbing recoil being the point. Bracing against the leg while standing would be a bit awkward in my opinion, and not really necessary to absorb recoil if both hands were free to control the weapon. >>>>> Cascabel

Hmmmmmm....... Ya know, Shipmate, there ARE those of us that don't use Facebook. I'm sure I'm not the only one !!

My thoughts on this (so far).... I think there should be 2-3 new members selected each year. It will keep up interest in the Order, and be something to aspire to. I would like to see rings awarded to new members. I think it somehow cheapens the honor to not have rings. However, I have absolutely NO idea how to fund the rings. If rings are awarded, I think they should differ in some way from the original "Charter Member's" rings. If rings are not possible, then perhaps some kind of distinctive pendant would be feasible. I think because of the significance of the honor, anything awarded should be noticeably different from ordinary jewelry, and definitely NOT made of cheesy pewter !!! Silver is not all that expensive. Perhaps we can get the events themselves to sponsor the awards by promoting the award ceremony as an important and public part of the event. I would like to see the Order of Leviathan awards rotated around to different events, so that different locations get a chance to host the awards, and appreciate the value of having Leviathan members at their events. The only way the Order can become a "BIG DEAL" is if we, ourselves cause it to happen. >>>>> Cascabel

I don't know Florida law at all. An educated guess is that muzzle loading weapons are exempt from the rules governing short barreled smoothbores and rifles. You will really need to dig into the laws and interpretations of them in Florida. Quite often laws are worded rather poorly and unfortunately are open to interpretation by judges based on their biases. Many places specifically exempt muzzle loading weapons entirely from those types of restrictions, or perhaps worse, don't mention them at all, which can cause problems. Smooth bore flintlock pistols are quite commonly sold everywhere, so that may make it O.K. It is all dependent on how the laws are written. It's possible in some instances to be prosecuted for making the equivalent of a sawed-off shotgun, but not likely. Do some digging, or get your favorite lawyer to check for you. DO NOT rely on asking a police officer. However well-intentioned they may be, they really can't be expected to be experts on all the applicable laws. Let us know what you find out......

Well done, sez I !!!!

My thoughts are with you, and I wish you the best. I'm here if you need a fellow biker to unload on...... >>>> Cascabel

;) Good Lord, Cap'n....... I certainly HOPE you don't get PMS !!!!!! :o If you do, it's the rest of us that need notification.......

A well made Miquelet lock is every bit as reliable as a "standard" flintlock. The advantage to them is that with most of the works on the outside, there is a lot less wood removed from the stock in order to mount them, making for a stronger stock. If a stock gets broken, it usually breaks through the lock area, as a lot of strength is lost when inletting for tumbler, bridle, and especially the mainspring. Very nearly half of the wood is cut away in the lock area to clear these parts on a standard flintlock. The disadvantages to a Miquelet is the moving parts being on the outside, they are exposed to impact damage and being jammed by dirt and debris. >>>>> Cascabel

I also want to add Moll Flanders (1996), but I'm speaking of the GOOD one starring Alex Kingston in the title role as presented on PBS, rather than the theatrical version starring Robin Wright. >>>>> Cascabel

I hope you have not bought this thing. There is far more not "right" about it than good. As vintage sailor states, it is a put together piece from mismatched parts from different guns, and really not very well done. The stock is very obviously newer than the rest of the parts, and the workmanship is rather poor. The parts are definitely not matching in either style or quality. For instance, if you look at the lock, the cock has obvious engraving, but the lockplate does not. That is an immediate red flag. I would also like to get a look at the inside of the lock. For a gun of this period, there should be some kind of carved molding around the lock area, and the oposite side, even on an inexpensive piece. The barrel bears Spanish proofmarks, and is rather nice, and the buttcap is a quality piece, but the trigger guard and sideplate are much poorer quality in both style and workmanship. It has all the earmarks of a cobbled together piece from either North Africa, or the Middle East. Probably has some age to it, but not a couple of hundred years. >>>>> Cascabel