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The first of the hand held weapons were referred to as hand gonnes (cannons). They were a barrel (between .60 and .80 caliber) mounted to a pole. Although we think of Hand Gonnes shooting stone or lead balls, the earliest reference’s show them shooting short stubby metal tipped arrows. There are "892 shefe’s of musket arrows" listed in the Tower of London inventory of 1589. Hand Gonnes were used from the mid 1300’s to the mid 1400’s. A painting dated 1411 in Austria shows an s-shaped lever (for holding the match cord) attached to the wooden shaft so you could have more control of the weapon. Hand Gonnes (793)
Our hand cannons are from the Dave Kroyer Collection. We are reproducing two different Hand Cannons (Gonnes). The first is a .62 caliber octagonal barrel that is very similar to the gun found in the ruins of Tannenberg Castle that was destroyed in 1399. The second is the more typical round .77 caliber barrel. These are finished barrels all you have to do is purchase the 1 1/8" wooden shaft (available from most local hardware stores), between three and six feet long and lightly taper the one end to fit the socket. It is very surprising the accuracy that you can get with a little practice. We have been able to hit man size targets at 70 to 80 yards (8 out of 10 times).
Hakenbuchse (855)
This is another Hand Cannon (Gonne) with a steel round barrel with rings for reinforcing, as some of the early hand cannon (gonnes) were cast, this type used a forged barrel. The rings were to make sure the barrel did not split from firing. This also has the Haken (hook) that some people think was used to lay over a wall in firing to absorb recoil, but even with heavy loads there is not much recoil to these weapons. It is more reasonable to think that it was used as a dual purpose to make the hand cannons (gonnes) usable as a hand to hand battle weapon for piercing bodies and armour. We offer preshaped and inletted stocks for this weapon or you can make your own. The barrel is 9" in length with #10 bore (.77 Caliber). Can also be made without the hook. Many early Hakenbuchse Paintings show the s-shaped matchcord holder above used on these guns.
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We stock many items, but each item is custom cast or made by us to the exact specifications of the originals parts, we have copied. Due to the investment casting process which we use there are sometimes delays due to this process which in turn requires patience from our customers, the average delivery time on our parts is between 60 and 90 days, if the parts you order are not in stock. We assure you that the quality of our parts is well worth any wait, as many of the items we make have never been offered by anyone before. If you are serious about the authenticity of your weapon then the time will be a small price to pay. Many of the pictures shown on this web site are of original pieces. We do not sell any original pieces on this web site only reproduction's of the original parts we have copied. If the item description does not say assembled then you are buying the castings of that particular item. To see the difference between an assembled lock and a set of lock castings please click the button below.
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trshoppe@therifleshoppe.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
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18420 E. Hefner Road ~
Jones, Oklahoma 73049 ~ (405) 396-2583 Tel
~ (405) 396-8450 Fax 
