This type of gun is typical of many surviving from the period 1420 to around 1480. It’s a sturdy iron barrel made by a blacksmith, on an iron pole or tiller. It also has a hook on the bottom of the barrel, which could be used to hook the barrel over the top of a wall or shield, or as a close-quarters weapon. The hooks on the bottom of guns of this type may be responsible for the late medieval term ‘arquebus’ or ‘Haakbuss’ meaning a handgun (lit. Hooked tube). This gun can be fired by a single person if it is hooked over a wall, or more easily by two people, a gunner and a calinator due to it’s weight. |
