The Power and the Range of the Matchlock

Japanese

The power of the matchlock may be beyond your imagination!

Some people may think that the power is not that strong, because it was invented hundreds years ago.

Obviously, its effective range and hitting accuracy is inferior compared to today’s weapons.

However, it was an innovative weapon when it first appeared.

I’m going to introduce the power and the range.

First, speaking about the power…

First thing first, it can pierce armor.

In an experiment taken by the editors of Rekishi-Gunzou (a Japanese history magazine) and Nihon-Zensoju-Shageki-Renmei (the Japan Muzzle-Loading Gun League), the bullet pierced a 1mm thick iron plate 50 meters away. 

The gun they used was a matchlock with a 9mm muzzle, and 3g of gunpowder.

The bullet did not peirce through 2 iron plates but managed to tear the inside of the plates.

Thus, it would cause serious damage when the bullet hit armor of a soldier called ashigaru.

When they shorten the distance to 30 meters, the bullet was able to pierce through both iron plates.

Also, it broke though 36mm of a 48mm thick cypress board, causing it to crack all the way through the back.

Japanese soldiers were wearing a protector, yoroi, made of thin iron plates, which is 1mm-2mm thick.

Of course, the generals were wearing stronger armor, but the ashigaru were wearing those thinner armor for more mobility and ease of mass-productivity.

Some people were wearing an armor made of bamboo, because they were too poor to buy one made of iron.

Therefore, matchlocks were very effective when a target was closer than 50 meters.

I cannot remember where I saw it, but I’ve read a line saying,

“Pull the trigger when you can tell the division of the eye’s iris and the white part.”

Even if people’s eyesight were very good, 50 meters is quite a short distance, isn’t it?

Compared to bows and arrows, the matchlock is inferior in its rapid-fire ability, but the power is far stronger.

In another experiment taken by Bessatsu Gun (extra issue of Gun), the muzzel velocity of a matchlock was 330m/s. 

The matchlock they used is called San-momme-dutsu whose muzzle is about 12mm, and the bullet weighs 174 grain (about 11.3 gram). 

If compared to today’s gun technology, the power of the matchlock is nearly equivalent to today’s .38 long colt.

Matchlocks have therefore, as much power as modern guns.

Let’s talk about the range from now.

The matchlock a farmer/soldier, or the ashigaru, used, was a little different and smaller, sizing at around 11.79mm to 15.79mm in muzzle size.

The farmer/soldier version of matchlock’s most effective range is up to approximately 200 meters.

If you hold the gun in an elevated angle, the range can reach farther than arrows, but only heavy warheads such as cannons, proves to use that technique effectively.

There won’t be any serious damage if you are hit by a small stone thrown from a long distance. 

Although, what if it was a huge mass of iron as big as a volley-ball? 

I don’t even want to think about it.

Even though the reach of the matchlock may extend to 200m, it is a much more effective weapon when it is fired at a target in a closer distance. 

A critical reason would be for hitting accuracy.

As I said in What is Matchlock? (the Construction and the Mechanism), 

the body of a matchlock is a glide gun and the bullet is spherical.

These features cause the bullet to be easily affected by wind and other temperate conditions, have bad air resistance and therefore making its accuracy worse than today’s guns.

Even so, if the target is in a 50m range these conditions are much less significant.

Nihon-Zensoju-Shageki-Renmei (the Japan Muzzle-Loading Gun League) did another experiment, shooting a fixed human-shaped board, 160cm in size and 30 meters away.  

5 out of 5 bullets hit the chest part. Shooting from 50 meters away, 4 out of 5 bullets managed to hit the board.

Considering its firepower and its impressive range, wouldn’t you say the matchlock is the most powerful weapon of its time?

No, it’s not. It has a weak point.

The matchlock cannot fire continuously.

The matchlock system only allows the user to load one bullet at a time.

A professional user would possibly be able to reload a fired matchlock in about 20 seconds.

If the user fails to hit the target who is about 50 meters away, the target would likely be able to reach his opponent and strike them before being able to shoot the matchlock again.

The Sandan-uchi strategy was invented to compensate for the weakness of the matchlock.

There are different views on the Sandan-uchi among historians today.

Historians say it is not as simple as the portrayed strategy; three groups of samurai firing in turn, giving each groups time to reload the weapon.

I will write about Sandan-uchi someday.

In any case, there is no doubt that the matchlock’s role changed the significance and usage of armor, and changed war itself.

Trivia: When matchlocks started to be used in a war, the hitting accuracy was not great, so it is said that it was used to threaten the enemy. 
Two soldiers rode their horse closer to the enemy, fired once and immediately sought refuge back on their side. The loud sound must have surprised people who didn’t know of the matchlock’s existence.

Conclusion

1. The performance of a matchlock equivalent to today’s guns except for the ability to fire continuously.

2. It is very effective in both power and the hitting accuracy when shooting a target within 50 meters.

3. The lack of continuous firing ability can be compensated by using many matchlocks and the Sandan-uchi strategy.

Next time, I am going to write about how to use a matchlock and its economic values

See you next time!!