Hey Folks,
I'm posting this in the hopes that some of the military collectors on the board can help me identify this piece. At first glance I thought that it looked awfully similar to English long pattern sea service pistols, which is why I was interested. The big picture is the same - it has a 12" barrel with bands filed at the breech, large English style furniture, single ramrod pipe, had a belt hook at one point, and same overall profile. The details however are different: The barrel has a rounded tang instead of square, is .75, with a 1 1/4" breech and no proof marks. Initially I thought it was a shortened musket barrel, but it tapers too quickly for that. Some idiot wirebrushed the iron parts at some point and spliced in a piece of mahogany - that will be remedied as time allows.
The lock has one faint stamp on the inside - it reminds me of German locks I’ve handled with similar sized illegible stamps. The pan is detachable. The internals of the lock definitely aren't French in style, nor do they have the robust crispness that every English lock I've handled has. The lock parts all have two file notches in them to mark them as a set. Looks like a civilian percussion conversion - and not used much after that given the condition of the steel and wood.
The brass furniture has no markings at all - the triggerguard, buttcap, and thimble are sand cast with texture remaining in hidden parts. The sideplate is about 3/32" thick, and the hole in the rear of it once held the pin to a belt hook. I believe the sideplate is original to the gun, and not covering up an existing inlet for a more typical standard sea service style sideplate. The front lock screw is a replacement, but the rear seems original. None of the parts show any sign of being recycled from earlier guns - no double pin holes anywhere. The inletting and overall assembly is a bit rougher than what I would expect on an English military gun. The lock mortise is hogged out, and the inletting elsewhere is rough as well (but with no visible gaps from the outside). The iron ramrod is a replacement for an original wood one, and has a stamp of a cross or a dagger, with a "5" below.
For the life of me I can’t tell whether it’s Euro or Black walnut – some parts are quote porous and dark (under the buttcap), while other areas seem to have fewer pores and be more like a blonde Euro walnut. Has knots here and there too, and again no marks at all. I haven't worked with enough walnut to be able to differentiate well enough yet.
So, what is it? Could it be German, Dutch or Scandinavian and
not have proof marks? The overall quality reminds me of the fast produced muskets and other cobbled together arms made during the Rev-war period in the colonies. The lack of proofs, Germanic lock, and shape of the sideplate also makes it feel somewhat American to me. The fact that the parts aren't recycled though makes me think it's probably later and Northern European; What do you think? Please feel free to pass photos along to others you think may have some knowledge. Thanks for your thoughts!
-Eric
