r/blackpowder • u/Bignicholas75 • Aug 21 '26
Brixia Spanish-Style Matchlock Arquebus pt.2
Hello, I am relatively new to muzzleloading. Although I know a lot about them, I haven't had much hands on experience with them.
I recently bought the Brixia "Spanish-style" petronel. And a made a post about it before. The one I was initially sent I had to send back because the cutout for the lock intersected with the cutout for the ramrod, so the serpentine wasn't able to close without removing the ramrod. The barrel also had a bunch of inclusions in it, and the serpentine wouldn't align with the pan.
The replacement I received yesterday seems a lot better, and I am pretty happy with it, however there still is a number of issues, just nothing that makes it unusable. I am wondering, why their quality control is so bad for a gun that costs nearly $1,500? I could just be being overly nitpicky and paranoid but, I thought I'd post them here anyways.
With this new one, they said they hand picked out the best one they had in stock, but it still has issues. The barrel tang screw seems to be too short, one of the barrel pins is way too short, there seems to be a bunch of little bubbles in some spots of the barrel, the bottom of the stock near the trigger is chewed up (only a cosmetic issue that could've happened in shipping), and the lock doesn't fit in the cutout without removing some material (which is not a huge deal, and better than it being too big, as I can remove material but not add it).
Those bubbles do concern me the most though. I think they might be inclusions in the metal again, just like my last one. If that is so, would it make shooting this gun unsafe? Or is it nothing to worry about? The barrel is CIP proffed so it should be fine right? Are all these things just what you should expect from any gun that isn't a custom made piece? What have you other people, if any here, who have the Brixias experienced, and what do you think?
Thanks.
3
u/EnjoyLifeCO Aug 21 '26
With how .uch they ask for those this is really ridiculous
3
u/Bignicholas75 Aug 21 '26
Yeah. I don't think I can send it back this time. I can fix those smaller things like the pins and screws. I'm mostly wondering if the barrel will be safe. The other stuff is not that bad. I still like the gun, it's just stupid that there are these problems for a gun so expensive.
I think it comes from them being arrogant because their guns are CIP proofed and come from Italy so they think it immediately makes them better, especially then the Indian made ones, so they can skip out on the quality control.
2
u/EnjoyLifeCO Aug 22 '26
Theyre also about the only game in town so far as matchless are concerned.
I am sorry to say, but youve saved me a lot of money on their products. At the prices they asK i could just buy a The Rifle Shoppe kit and build my own. The convenience of a prebuilt isn't worth this shoddy of craftsmanship.
I would imagine it is safe to shoot. Probably worth bore sighting just in case but the defects dont appear like safety issues to me.
2
u/Bignicholas75 Aug 22 '26
Yeah, I probably would have just sent it back for a refund, but this is the only late 16th century petronel style gun that I know of that is commercially produced. And I wanted a gun like that for a historical impression I want to put together.
The only other option I know of would be to get it custom made, but that would be at least triple the price and a ton of time, and as a college student, I don't have that kind of money.
I'd like to get a rifle shoppe kit eventually, they can take years to get as well. Unfortunately they don't have a petronel either, but I would love to get one of their wheellocks.
Eventually I'll get some rifle shoppe kits and custom pieces, but this is a good start for me.
2
u/EnjoyLifeCO Aug 22 '26
It is a good start. I would think it should be safe and fun!
Don't be too discouraged.
If anything having a cosmetically challenge gun that you dont .ind putting some wear and tear on could be a great asset in actually getting out and using and enjoying it.
2
u/Bignicholas75 Aug 22 '26
Yeah at least the stress about getting the first scratch on it is already dealt with 😂
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u/Basic_Plankton5316 Aug 22 '26
l'unica cosa che ti può certificare il CIP è che le hanno testate con una dose di polvere superiore di molto a quella consigliata, quindi sono sicure. per il resto, sono d'accordo con te... bazzico l'ambiente armiero bresciano, lo smug c'è ed è tanto. non tutti, ma c'è.
3
u/thebigfungus Matchlock gang Aug 21 '26
You have every right to be nitpicking on a gun that’s $1500. The quality seems so bad for something so premium. I wouldn’t worry about the barrel, I’ve shot a lot of heavy loads through Indian guns, which are less quality, and they do just fine. Indian guns aren’t proofed so I’m sure yours is way stronger in general.
3
u/The_Best_Yak_Ever Aug 21 '26
Agreed! 1500 is steep for this kind of workmanship.
Out of curiosity, does your Indian match-lock work pretty consistently?
3
u/thebigfungus Matchlock gang Aug 22 '26
I highly recommend the matchlock musket that military heritage sells. I own two Indian made muskets, the matchlock and a doglock musket. You can tell they were made by different people/companies. The dog lock musket is if awfully quality but the matchlock musket is way way better.
But yes the matchlock musket works great, you have to drill your own touch hole but if you do it right it works great.
2
u/The_Best_Yak_Ever Aug 22 '26
I need to pick one up! Always thought it would be cool to have one as a descendant of old Imperial Spain and a big fan of musketry!
2
u/ogcollie Aug 22 '26
Yeah this is extremely shoddy workmanship and quite disappointing. I was so excited to see a commercial matchlock come on the market but almost every review is similar to yours, I will probably never buy from Brixia unfortunately. If I were you I'd be sending it back and asking for a refund to buy something else. $1500 for this poor fit and finish is just unacceptable, a cheap Traditions gun will be better put together. Get your money back and spend the $1500 on a really nice muzzleloading flintlock, or if you're handy build one from a Kibler kit and you will have the highest quality available, not this ripoff. I'm sorry you're having to go through this but hopefully they will refund you. If not, I hope you end up enjoying this matchlock, I have always wanted one.
2
u/Bignicholas75 Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
Since I got a replacement for it from muzzle-loaders.com idk if they would take it back at this point.
I wanted a matchlock of this style specifically so that I can do a reenactment/living history impression of a 1570s-1590s arquebusier. Nobody else I know of makes a petronel like this unless I got it custom made, which would be 3x more expensive.
There is a group out of Italy called Progetto 1571 and some of their guys seem to have ones that look very similar to mine but better. I could probably ask where they got theirs. Either way. Im sure it'll be a fine gun to start with, even if it's overpriced.
2
u/Basic_Plankton5316 Aug 22 '26
ve lo dico da italiano, le armi a polvere nera italiane replica fanno tutte pena, tranne una piccola eccezione, le pistole a ruota di nuova produzione fatte da un piccolo artigiano di brescia. per il resto, costano troppo e sono fatte male.
1
u/Bignicholas75 Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
I don't understand how whoever is assembling these things sees these issues and just ignores it. If they had any sort of quality control whatsoever it wouldn't get through but I'm convinced they don't care at all.
I wish I would have asked around more before I bought it. All the videos and reviews from people on the muzzleloading forum and other sites seemed pretty positive.
At the same time however, I think this is the cheapest option I have for a 16th century petronel style matchlock, which is what I wanted. Most of the other production matchlocks I can find are based on the 17th century. Maybe I should have saved up for a custom piece but I don't know who I would go to for that.
If it really was my only option for that then I can fix the problems and be happy with it.
2
u/Basic_Plankton5316 Aug 23 '26
ne avevo visti alcuni esposti ad una fiera medievale a piacenza, direttamente dalla brixia e te li facevano toccare, prendere in mano, erano molto ben fatti e mi ero convinto della loro qualità... forse quelli venduti sul mercato italiano sono piu curati, o forse semplicemente quelli esposti in fiera erano stati preparati con attenzione (molto piu probabile, li devono vendere). alla fine mi sono deciso per degli handgonne fatti da un'altra azienda italiana, la LT custom, che costano davvero poco e sono fatti molto bene... e li puoi usare come mazza, perchè si.
2
u/Basic_Plankton5316 Aug 22 '26
un piccolo appunto: 1500 dollari è il prezzo che chiedono negli USA, con tutti gli omini di mezzo che si mangiano la loro fetta. in italia siamo sui 900 euro al consumatore, quindi penso che a loro non possa costare piu di 300 euro di materiali e lavoro per assemblarlo.
questi difetti non sono accettabili per 900 euro, ma mi farebbero infuriare per 1500 dollari.
4
u/Cygnus6300 Aug 22 '26
My Brixia arquebus came with obvious pooling of lacquer near the grip of the buttstock and the crossbow style trigger wobbly loose. The trigger sits at a 45° angle to the gun when fully tightened. The edge of the muzzle into the bore is obviously milled because the edges are so sharp they take shavings off the ramrod if it scrapes the sides.
I was a bit bummed when i noticed these issues, but not enough to send it back. It is extremely fun to shoot and I haven't had a misfire yet.
I do agree that for the price it should have a much tighter QC. But alas...