Hi Guys, Newish Here & Need Help!!! Flintlocks!

Hi everyone,
Just signed up here for the first time though I have been a 'lurker' here for a few months.

Let me begin by saying that everytime I visit this sight with a query I am always staggered by the wealth of clear and well laid out information there is.
Truly amazing.

There is however an omission or at least I cant find the answer to my most recent pondering!.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this but I really like the Disney version of 'The Three Musketeers', the one with Kiefer Southerland, Oliver Platt & Charlie Sheen. Sorry but I really love all that chivalry/shwashbuckling/pistols at dawn bollocks!! :-)

My question is - does anyone know what make and model these old shooters were?

Be really interested to know!

Kind regards
Jase

[Nyles]

I've never seen it, but if you can post a picture I'd be glad to take a crack at it. Although it would be quite historically wrong for the movie to include flintlock pistols, I wouldn't be surprised if it did - likely British Sea Service pattern.

Historically speaking, the Three Musketeers story really predates the idea of a model of firearm, that really started with the British Brown Bess in 1722, before then firearms were really just made to a general pattern rather than specified standards.

In fact, during the reign of Louis XIV, "muskets" had yet to become what we now understand the term to mean. They were heavy caliber weapons, fired from a forked rest, intended to penetrate plate armor, as opposed to the lighter arquebusse, and they were typically matchlocks - flintlocks wouldn't become popular until the 1660s. Musketeers were specialist troops trained to use these weapons, usually deployed at the front of a formation and receiving double pay because of the inherent risks. Dumas got it right that the Musketeers of the Guard was an elite and fashionable unit that was hard to get into, but the idea of them as swashbuckling swordsman is pretty incorrect.

You see Nyles - that's exactly what I'm talking about - everyone here really knows there stuff and you are clearly no exception.

Thanks for that useful and informative reply.

Unfortunatly my copy of the movie is back in 'blighty' - I'm currently living in Spain - so I won't be able to upload a movie still from there.
I'll have a scout around the web and see if I can drum up a decent shot from there.

stay tuned!

Jase

Hiya Mate,

Right I've had a good look around the web and unfortunatly can't find any images good enough to tell that the characters are carrying other than a piece of metal!

I ahev found a couple of clips on 'you tube' which are a little better - but not much.

Probably wont be able to give me a firm confirmation but anything more you can add would really be appreciated.
1st clip is a 7min long action sequence with firearms cropping up occasionally throughout:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpjiW8r9LM8

The second (probably the most helpful) is a series of stills from a french female Kiefer Sutherland fan ( so don't let the missus catch you watching it, she'll think you have made a major change of 'lifestyle' choice!)
Anyway approaching the mid way point there are numourous shots of him with the pistols in question.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPsYi9P3kYg

Once again a big thanks to you and anyone else who cares to help!

Regards
Jase

[Nyles]

Finally had a chance to take a look, I've been on leave and travelling. Looks to be a Queen Anne style pistol from the late 1600s with a rammer, which isn't too far out of the historical setting.

[MoviePropMaster2008]

The problem of ALL FIREARMS before mass production is that so many of them were hand made. I have flintlock pistols from years prior to 1788 and NONE are completely identical (like we have in mass produced guns). Each one was a custom work of art/craftsman ship and though there are general types (Matchlocks for armies, wheel locks, etc.) there is no way to really DRILL DOWN and identify exactly who the maker or model was unless we got to inspect the actual firearm itself.

That is why IMFDB users have a bit of a bias AGAINST flintlock/Matchlock/Wheel-lock weapons in that we must WILDLY guess most of the time. I am looking forward to getting some actual screen used weapons photograph. At least I KNOW what the gun is and that it was used in the film. But just be looking at screenshots, we can only guess as to the general type and period and possible makers. That's too 'scattershot' for my tastes

[Gunmaster45]

You have to realize that before the industrial revolution, people made them customly (as they didn't have machines for mass production) for really rich people who enjoyed shooting each other or people who didn't own guns themselves (usually foreign natives or rebels oppressed by tyranny). So before that time nothing really had a mass-produced label.

I honestly know I couldn't even ID most of the flintlocks that WHERE mass produced, so I just label them into the basic genre (Flintlock rifle, flintlock pistol, Blunderbuss, Nock, etc. etc.)

My question for you though, what is Newish? Is that anything like Jewish???

[AdAstra2009]

Hi Guys, Newish Here & Need Help!!! Flintlocks!

maybe that's his nickname...