Doglock Musket
British Board of Ordnance · Rifle · Discontinued · 1650
Also known as: Dog Lock Musket, English Lock Musket, Doglock Flintlock Musket
Overview
The Doglock Musket is a family of 17th- and early 18th-century British muzzle-loading smoothbore flintlock muskets, named for the pivoting 'dog' catch mounted behind the cock that held the action at half cock as a safety. Bridging the earlier matchlock and snaphance with the mature flintlock, the doglock used a large, flat-faced, unbridled lock with a heavy mainspring and reinforced ring-necked cock. Armed extensively by the British Army under the Duke of Marlborough and favoured by the Royal Navy for its handy 42-inch barrel, it was the principal English service arm until superseded by the Brown Bess in the 1720s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4500 g (158.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1470 mm (57.87") |
| Barrel Length | 1067 mm (42.01") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 305 m/s (1001 fps) |
| Effective Range | 70 m (77 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- .75 Caliber Musket Ball · primary — also known as 0.75 in, 11-bore ball, .71 lead ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Dog Catch Half Cock
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Dog Catch Safety, Flat Faced Lock, Ring Necked Cock, Priming Pan, Wooden Ramrod, Full Length Hardwood Stock
Service history
Operators
- British Army
- Royal Navy
Conflicts
- War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714)
- Nine Years' War (1688-1697)
Production
Production years: c. 1650-1720
Produced by numerous English and Dutch contractors for the British Board of Ordnance; superseded by the Land Pattern (Brown Bess) musket in the 1720s. Surplus arms passed to the Royal Navy and the American colonies.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Discontinued: 1720
Notes
The dog catch is a small hook behind the cock that engages a notch, physically locking the cock at half cock before the true tumbler-and-sear half-cock notch became standard. Barrel lengths varied from 42-inch service muskets to 48-inch fowlers; the shorter barrel was preferred for shipboard use. Bore diameter varied between roughly .69 and .80 caliber across contractors before British ordnance standardised on the ~.75 musket bore.
Background
Because captured and deserted naval arms so often found their way into privateer and pirate hands, the compact 42-inch doglock became closely associated with the Golden Age of Piracy in the popular imagination.