Caberas Musket

The Caberas musket is the standard issue firearm in the Otorim military. It was developed from the Oncuelho 377 design which had been popular among hunters and rangers. It was commissioned by the army and first introduced on a large scale in early 423 IA. Several prominent gunsmiths including Aker-Moren, Nighthawk Arms, and Larmousia also produce Caberas muskets, typically for military officers or civilians in search of more customized weapons. Caberas & Sons continues to hold the contract to produce all standard issue muskets.

Design

The Caberas musket has a smoothbore barrel and uses a flintlock action. It's muzzle loaded with a musket ball. It has front and rear rights with the front sight being used to attach the bayonet. The stocks are made from Essen wood which is known for its tight grain and rich reddish-brown coloration. The wood is somewhat difficult to work with, but it's extremely durable and able to withstand the rigors of field conditions and poor treatment. Most of the stress bearing components are made from iron, and bronze is common for the ramrod pipe and butt plate. Otherwise, iron is used throughout.   Several variant patterns exist which primarily adjust the length of the barrel. Over the years, Caberas & Sons improved on their original design with the most notable improvement being a bowl pressed into the pan to better contain the powder and adding a second trigger to serve as the safety and prevent accidental discharge.

Variations

421 Long Infantry Pattern

The original pattern established many of the conventions that would carry through to all subsequent designs. It had a flat pan with a long barrel at 45in and weights 10.5lb. It was designed for accuracy at range by line infantrymen. It's easy to handle, and the weight assists in reducing the recoil.

429 Cavalry Pattern

Following the popularity of the Long Infantry Pattern, the Cavalry Pattern was developed as a carbine version of the musket. It's short and light with a 26in barrel and only weighs 8lb. Its short design makes it less accurate at range, but it's easy to manipulate and well suited to firing off the back of a horse.

442 Sea Pattern

The Sea Pattern was built to withstand harsh conditions at sea with a frizzen that can be locked in place when loaded and release automatically when fired and create a tighter seal to keep seawater out. It's also made with Necami wood which is well known for its salt-resistant properties. The barrel is 30in and weighs 8.75lb. 

443 Short Infantry Pattern

The Short Infantry pattern was designed with rangers and skirmishers in mind. It's relatively lightweight at only 9lb with a 36in barrel and is known for its accuracy and being easy to disassemble and clean.

460 Colonial Pattern

Developed by Giormo Caberas, the Colonial Pattern primarily uses resources which are readily available in the Fenveikuria Archipelago. Notable, Necami wood was chosen for the stock. Additional adjustments were made to the flintlock mechanism so that it was easier to handle for beastfolk and nonhumans. It has a 38in barrel and weighs 10lb.

465 Mounted Infantry Pattern

This was the first pattern developed by Milo Caberas and was meant as an intermediary between the Cavalry Pattern and what would become the New Infantry Pattern. It has a 40in barrel and weighs 10lb. Though unwieldy from the saddle, it's a sturdy and accurate musket at range. This is also the first design to include a trigger safety.

465 New Infantry Pattern

The New Infantry Pattern replaced the Long Infantry Pattern as the standard infantry musket. Like the Long Pattern, it has 45in barrel and Essen wood stock. It weighs 10.3lb. Among the new improvements, it has a bowl in the pan for powder, a safety behind the main trigger, and a molded stock that's more comfortable when worn.

History

In 418 IA, Emperor Calen Salros put out a competition to all gunsmiths to design a new model of musket for the army. The requirements were improved accuracy at up to 50 calte and better grips on the flintlocks. One of the chief complaints about the existing muskets was that the spring mechanism that held the flint in place wore down quickly which led to lost flints and unreliable fire due to missed strikes. Yanni Caberas who was a young gunsmith at the time and still building his reputation set to work designing his musket. He drew inspiration from the Oncuelho 377 musket which was a common hunting musket known for its accuracy and durability in rough terrain and poor weather conditions. He made several improvements and simplified some of the mechanisms. Most notably, he included a screw lock for the flint that was attached to a soft plate that could be molded to fit the back of the flint for a more secure fit. The screw was flattened with a ridged edge on top to make it easier to pull back even under wet conditions.   The Oncuelho 377 was known for its long barrel which assisted with accuracy, and that carried over into Caberas' pattern. He built the first musket for the competition and won the marksman test to win. Following that, he began producing the muskets on a wider scale and was formally issued to the army in 421 IA. It took about seven years to fully replace the older models, though it had limited reach in the colonies.   The cavalry was the next in line to receive new guns, and Caberas began work on designing a carbine version of the musket. He also strengthened the frizzen spring and added a small lip to the pan to help with stability. The barrel diameter stayed the same allowing for musket balls to be mass produced for all branches of the army. The marines were the third group to receive an adjusted pattern following complaints about the long barrel length of the infantry pattern being unwieldy below decks, but they found the carbine version to be too short for accuracy from the tops.   It led to additional changes to the ramrod pipe which was changed to have a locking mechanism when not in immediate use. Similarly, slight changes to where the stock met the barrel made it easier to clean thoroughly and withstand the harsh conditions at sea. For the Sea Pattern, Caberas also changed the stock to be made from Necami wood which had better salt resistant properties and could be submerged for extended periods of time without warping.   Shortly after, he released an updated version of the Long Infantry pattern using a slightly shorter barrel which was primarily used among the rangers and grenadiers. This became the final model that Yanni produced due to failing health. He died in 444 IA and received honors from the imperial government for his contributions. In 448, a bronze statue of Yanni was erected in the courtyard for the imperial armory.   His son, Milo Caberas, took over the family business and continued to manufacture the army's guns. He also released the patterns to other manufacturers who were commissioned by officers to make guns that still met the pattern regulations but included minor modifications. His younger brother, Giormo Caberas, traveled to the Fenveikuria Archipelago and opened up a repair shop to assist with the maintenance of the arms aboard. He was the primary designer for the Colonial Pattern which was released in 460 IA and included a redesign of the flintlock mechanism to make it easier to fire and harder to discharge accidentally. He also improved the shape of the stock to be more comfortable to use along with adopting the use of Necami wood in infantry and cavalry stocks. The supply of Necami wood meant that adoption of the new gun was only possible in the colonies.   Meanwhile in Kos, Milo was working on a design for the mounted cavalry who primarily fought on foot but rode to the field of battle. He mostly made adjustments to the existing cavalry carbine with extending the barrel and also improving the rear sights to be a notched plate that could be turned up or down to keep it protected. This helped improve accuracy, though it still suffered from the same general problems as all muskets with regards to accuracy at range. That same year, he also released an updated version of the Long Infantry Pattern musket which incorporated all of the new developments that had been made to the musket patterns over the years.   The Caberas musket continues to be the primary service musket for the Otorim military. The business is currently run by Iustin Caberas. Recent struggles with tree fungus have impacted Essen trees, and production of muskets have slowed. The musket continues to be popular with the pattern being replicated for civilian use.