1620 Flintlock Musket

Crafted in the Swedish style, this was the first dog lock style or "English lock" introduced into English forces and was used in the English Civil War. The original this reproduction is crafted after is from the Royal Armouries in the Tower of London. In colonial America, this switch to this style of dog lock seems to have occurred as early as 1620. Several of these locks were found archaeologically in Virginia including at Jamestown and at an early 17th century outpost near Yorktown. In addition others have been found in Rhodes Island and in Plymouth. There is evidence that this style was still be being used in King Philip's War in the 1670s and even into the 1690s. Indeed by 1677 matchlocks were outlawed for military use in some colonies in America, and the dog lock in this and its later lock shape became dominant. Obviously from coastal raids and prizes at sea, this style of musket would have found its way into the hands of various pirates and privateers during the golden years of pirating.