Lew,
Yes, a Buhund is a Norwegian dog. When I was building that pistol I was using an original as an inspiration and it had a hunting scene on the side plate. So I made mine with a hunting scene, too. Since my little pal, Ollie, is a Norwegian Buhund I put a Buhund on the side plate of my pistol. Ollie has been with me at the ALR tent at the Fair for 9 years. Hence Acer's post.
It appears to me that French pistols are quite different from British pistols. From what I have read thus far it seems that in the 18th century French army all officers bought their own pistols. Again, my reading has led me to conclude that in the British army the commanding general equipped the entire regiment. It seems there was far more standardization in the British army up until the 1770's, or there abouts, when French military procurement was completely centralized. So it is my impression that a French pistol recovered during the 7 years war (F&I over hear) would have been bought individually or as a pair by the officer from an independent gunmaker. Generally the bores of French guns are smaller than the British. The pistols I have are 28 and 36 bore, for example. I'll try to post some pictures for you.
Best Regards,
John Cholin
