THE AMTGARD LEGAL MUSKET
The Amtgard legal musket made it's debut in the Celestial Kingdom, at Spring War 1999. The reception was quite positive, and a number of people asked me how to make it. What follows is a step by step way of making a musket. Please note that each person will probably want to customize theirs, varying its length and weight. Mine was fairly large, with stab legal bayonet and smash legal butt-stock. Before you start, get a good idea of what real muskets look like. That way, all of this will make more sense. Anyway, here goes. 
HOW TO BUILD YOUR MUSKET
#1) BUILD THE CORE: Take two sticks of 1/2" thickwall PVC or similar material as a core. One should be approximately 5' long, while the other should be about 6' long. Tape the tubes firmly together, with one end even. I suggest mixing duct tape and strapping tape at points every 1' for maximum strength. When you are done, the longer tube should protrude 1' past the shorter one in the front. The shorter tube will be the TOP, and will form the "barrel", while the longer tube will be the BOTTOM, and will form the stock and core of the bayonet. File and cap off all tubes like you would any Amtgard weapon core.  
#2) BUILD THE BARREL: Obtain two 6' sticks of grey pipe insulation of a size large enough to fit around your core tubes. If you use the kind that is split in the middle with adhesive strips, your task will be much easier. Run one foam tube from about 1 inch from the front end of the TOP tube, allowing it to hang 1' out over the back end. This overhang will later form part of the buttstock. Once the foam has been secured firmly to the TOP tube, it should be smooth and straight, with no tears or warps. Now apply clear packing tape to the length of the grey packing foam, except for the part hanging off the back. The glossy clear tape over the grainy grey/black foam will give the illusion of polished gun metal. 

#3) BUILD THE STOCK: Using the second grey foam tube, run it along the BOTTOM PVC tube, so that it partially overlaps the "barrel" on the sides. It should start at the same point as the barrel and run backwards, stopping about 1' short of the back end. This portion will be where the hand goes when the gun is used. Secure it firmly using the adhesive strips on the foam itself. Once this is done to your satisfaction, cover the "stock" carefully with brown duct tape or some other color of your choice. This will simulate the wooden furniture of the musket. Once this is done, run strips of black tape around both the "barrel" and the "stock", one inch from each end and one in the middle. This will make your musket more durable and simulate the iron straps used to hold the gun together. 

#4 BUILD THE BUTTSTOCK: At the back of the musket, you should have a dual core of PVC and a piece of flapping foam extending off the top about 1'. Cut out three or four slabs of camper pad foam, forming an iscosceles triangle of the desired size for the buttstock. This will form the mass of the buttstock and give it some shape. Secure the camper pad slabs to the PVC shafts with duct tape, the more the merrier. Fold the extended piece of grey foam around the top and back of the camper pad, adding more as necessary to build the buttstock into an authentic and safe shape. When you have achieved a proper thickness and softness, cover the entire thing with the same brown tape you used on the stock. Take care to hide any seams or irregularities in the foam, so that it looks good. For added realism, use grey duct tape on the back of the butt to simulate an iron cap. 

#5 FINISHING TOUCHES: At the very back end of the "barrel", immediately above the handgrip, you should now build the "lock", the so called "worky-bits" of the gun. The easiest way to do this is to take a small piece of foam, cover it in black tape, and stick it to the barrel off-set slightly to one side. For added realism, attack a piece of burnt white cord (1/4" thickness is best) to the "lock". This will look a bit like the match used to ignite the gun. With all this done, you should have a finished musket, lacking only the bayonet. This should be made in the normal manner that you normally make your blades, but I recommend using more realistic covers than many used for their swords. 

HOW TO USE YOUR MUSKET
The musket can be used exactly like a normal spear, for two-handed thrusts with the bayonet or swung like a staff to strike with the butt. Resist the urge to use it like a madu. You will find that the weight distribution is a bit unusual, and that the musket is a bit more cumbersome to fight with than a spear or a staff. Nevertheless, once you get used to the musket, you will find that it can be quite effective in close combat. This is both true and realistic. That is what you get when you bring a gun to a swordfight. In real combat, bayonets and butt strikes were used only in desperate circumstances. Emulating the musketeers of yore, it is recommended that you have a handy melee weapon available, such as a shortsword. You will need it.