AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: Eric Krewson on May 23, 2017, 04:18:31 PM

Title: Huge Old Lock
Post by: Eric Krewson on May 23, 2017, 04:18:31 PM: A guy on another site found this lock in his dad's stuff and wanted to know what it might be, any ideas? It appears to be huge.

(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv181%2Fekrewson%2FC24B6162-FD33-4A96-B1A9-DFE3B7C5FFA2_zps2kokmsxh.jpg&hash=f5b805167faa4e4dee9c353c690389048de3399c) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ekrewson/media/C24B6162-FD33-4A96-B1A9-DFE3B7C5FFA2_zps2kokmsxh.jpg.html)

(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv181%2Fekrewson%2FFA8B8C4C-4187-4FE9-BE07-349D74250822_zpsnw5mrcsu.jpg&hash=af97309d5da9f27020058de2b421ef0271df13f9) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ekrewson/media/FA8B8C4C-4187-4FE9-BE07-349D74250822_zpsnw5mrcsu.jpg.html)

(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv181%2Fekrewson%2F2E854D0E-C4DA-47B8-B1B8-F207D146F3B5_zpsqzisfrpu.jpg&hash=c0f92ac9ad0423bfce5b16280764d75dd400cea6) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ekrewson/media/2E854D0E-C4DA-47B8-B1B8-F207D146F3B5_zpsqzisfrpu.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: Tim Crosby on May 23, 2017, 05:07:24 PM: Got a shot of the back? TC
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: Hlbly on May 23, 2017, 06:46:43 PM: British East India Company Brown Bess lock.
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: Hungry Horse on May 23, 2017, 08:23:31 PM: Too big for a Bess lock, it must have been for a wall gun, or punt gun.

Hungry Horse
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: OLUT on May 23, 2017, 09:05:11 PM: A similar lock was posted on the British Military Forum in March. That post and the subsequent responses describe their usage on cheaply made trade guns used in the slave trade that were marked with the Elephant and Castle marking of the "Company of Merchants Trading to Africa". It is very interesting reading!
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: Daryl on May 25, 2017, 06:15:15 AM: Quote from: Hungry Horse on May 23, 2017, 08:23:31 PM
Too big for a Bess lock, it must have been for a wall gun, or punt gun.

Hungry Horse

Same ideas here - even too large for a 4 bore, seems to me. Appears to have been made in India, according to the elephant stamp on the lock plate - just a guess.
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: James Rogers on May 25, 2017, 11:38:43 PM: Quote from: OLUT on May 23, 2017, 09:05:11 PM
A similar lock was posted on the British Military Forum in March. That post and the subsequent responses describe their usage on cheaply made trade guns used in the slave trade that were marked with the Elephant and Castle marking of the "Company of Merchants Trading to Africa". It is very interesting reading!

This is correct per Blackmore.
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: perce on May 26, 2017, 12:18:13 AM: The fall 1966 issue of The Bulletin of the American Society of Arms Collectors illustrates this mark in an article by Charles Hanson, identifies
it as, "British African Mark" , topic of article is trade guns.
Title: Re: Huge Old Lock
Post by: Daryl on May 26, 2017, 09:28:09 PM: Quote from: perce on May 26, 2017, 12:18:13 AM
The fall 1966 issue of The Bulletin of the American Society of Arms Collectors illustrates this mark in an article by Charles Hanson, identifies
it as, "British African Mark" , topic of article is trade guns.

Interesting it would be called British AFRICAN Mark (not INDIAN Mark) as the elephant is an Indian Elephant with a Howdah aboard - something that was NEVER done with an African elephant, that I am aware of.