The fiancé' of a very good friend has a small Georgian pistol that was converted to percussion with a drum and nipple. The cock/hammer is long since gone and she had never remembered it had one on it. It seemed like the hammer was removed so it would be 'safer" to let the kids play with it, but I don't know if that was in the 19th century or 20th century.
It is a small pistol, but not as small as muff pistols of the time. The barrel is round, smoothbore and I can't remember how long it was as I didn't measure it, but it was probably 6' or less. There was no name on the lock or barrel and the barrel had no stamps I could see from the outside. It has a nice round faced lockplate on it. The stock could be European Walnut as it is some kind of walnut. What got me about this pistol was how well it fit the hand and balanced so nicely without being muzzle heavy.
The Lady's family have been in Virginia since at least some time before the Revolutionary War. She remembers her Grandfather owning it, but doesn't know how much further back than that it goes, but her Grandfather considered it a family heirloom. Her Grandfather was born after the Civil War, but before 1900. Family tradition has it that it was converted before or during the War Between the States, but there is nothing to document that. I imagine this pistol was converted both because it does fit the hand so well and could be carried in a large coat pocket. Maybe it was converted because the size was such that a Lady could easily handle it and that was important for Virginia Women when the men went to war?
The next time I visit my friend, I will ask his fiance' if I may take more time studying it and write notes and try to get some pictures of it.
Gus
