Weapons Committee Guidelines
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Weapons Committee Guidelines
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This draft is intended as a guide when purchasing or acquiring weaons and accoutrements for an accurate portrayal of a Highlander circa the year 1745. Please consider this to be a work in progress, as it is not the last word on the subject and new information is always being discovered and verified.
We recognize that few people will ever achieve the "Best" level in all areas of their kit. The reason this paper is set up with a "Best, Acceptable, and Unacceptable" structure is so that you will have an idea of what will get you in the door with a reasonably good kit, as well as goals to strive for as you seek to improve your impression.
A couple of general comments: weapons should reflect, either economically or socially, the station of the person you are portraying. Ask yourself "Would it make sense for this type of person to have this type of weapon or this particular piece of kit?" Even if a weapon or piece of kit is "Acceptable," but not common, one should make sure that it is not represented by many members of the group. Use common sense. Would a 300-year-old sword really be used? At the end of this list are members of the weapons committee who have agreed to answer questions about specific pieces in a given area.
| Item | Best | Acceptable | Unacceptable |
| Muskets and longarms | 1st Model "Long-Land Pattern" Brown Bess 1728 Fusil Grenadier (these are the most common muskets we can document) Spanish Miqulette Muskets General note: metal ramrods are perfectly acceptable on all of the above weapons. |
Fusil de Chasse 2nd Model Brown Bess (even better with a back-dated
lock; iron ramrod acceptable) matchlocks (even fewer than doglocks, and only in the early periods of the Rebellion) blunderbusses (very uncommon, but acceptable on a case-by-case basis) |
Any obvious post-1740s musket anything unavailable to Highlanders during that time rifles (but will be considered on a case-by-case basis) late-pattern Charleville muskets such as the 1763, 1766 and 1777 models. |
| Pistols | Murdock-style Highland pistols Queen Anne pistols Any good civilian pistol of the period (case-by-case basis) |
British-issue Tower pattern pistols | All-brass Highland pistols obvious post-1740s pistols |
| Swords | good-quality, period-correct baskethilts; basket should not be too large,
and not made of brass. Before purchasing, check with the recommended committee
members. French Epee du Soldat Prussian-made British-issue hangers with curved blades hangers with heart-shaped hilts, curved blades any other good quality curved-blade hanger |
mortuary swords Scottish smallswords |
naval cutlasses foils modern fencing equipment cheap straight-bladed hangers |
| Knives and Dirks | handmade, old-pattern dirks. Blades should be triangular in cross-section
and profile, or look like a cut-down sword blade. The plainer the better;
small handles of wood or bone. Small belt or armpit knives; small, old-pattern blades with handles of wood, bone, antler or horn. |
old-pattern dirks with knife and fork, the plainer the better. old-pattern dirks with pewter or brass mounts (ok, but rare) any dirks with larger handles |
modern-pattern dress dirks with mounted jewels, etc. antler-handled dirks any dirks with overly large handles modern skein dhus |
| Polearms and Targes | Lochaber axes; very limited in number, very early in the Rebellion targes subject to approval; see committee members and check the targe paper in the Appin library |
scythe on a pole (old style) grain flail old-style pitchfork (all of the above were early in the Rebellion, and few even then) |
spears spontoons bills bows |
| Leather and Horns | patterns for baldricks, sword scabbards, cartridge boxes, bayonet scabbards, frogs, etc. to be determined at a later date; see committee members. vegetable-tanned leather Scottish flat horns |
chrome-tanned in black or dark brown |
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Item
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Committee Members to Contact
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Muskets & Longarms |
Jeff Graham, Kevin Riley |
Pistols |
Jeff Graham, Dan Gilbert |
Swords |
Dan Gilbert, Jeff Descheemaeker, Gerry Orvis |
Knives & Dirks |
Gerry Orvis, Jeff Harold, Dan Gilbert |
Polearms & Targes |
Kevin Riley, Dan Gilbert, Jeff Harold |
Leather & Horns |
Jeff Graham, Jeff Descheemaeker |
| © 2003 The Appin Regiment / Appin Historical Society, Inc. All Right Reserved. Made it on a Mac. |