cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/HistoryArtifacts/t/840713
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Flintlock sporting rifle from the collection of George IV at Carlton House, London. The gun has a single blued steel barrel of octagonal and twisted heart shaped cross section inlaid in gold at the backsight Walster A Saarbruck. The lock signed Walster A Saarbruck and engraved with a cherub offering a bird to a retriever dog and also chiselled with flowers and trophies against a gold ground. Walnut wood half-stock with horn fore-end cap and twisted horn tipped wooden ramrod. The stock carved with rococo scrolls, a sea monsters head and griffin, the butt decorated with inlaid silver wire work.The silver wire decoration on the butt is taken directly from De Lacollombe, Nouveaux desseins D’Arquebuseries Dessine Grave par De Lacollombe a Paris 1730. Se Vend Chez De Marteau Eleve De Feu Mr De Lacollombe.
That can’t be good for bullet movement tho, right? Like that just seems really inefficient…?
I don’t know much about guns but I’m fairly certain they need to build up pressure behind the projectile, and this design seems inherently flawed there… but it also needs a straight trajectory out or it’ll go all wonky in flight and be super inaccurate… would this not drastically impact that?
Or is this a nonfunctional thing?
Based on the description I think the function of this piece is simply artistic expression of the craftsman. You are right about pressure, a perfectly round projectile would function poorly here. But if they used a heart shaped projectile it aught to work.
That said I think this was never built to be used in anger IMO.
It was clearly built to be used in love
It shoots love bullets.
Cupid got a slightly more modern makeover