Scottish Belt Pistol

[rickystl]

Hi Jim

That's a very nice pistol. And appears in good condition. With the exception of the wood grip, it's all metal construction is reminiscent of the earlier all metal construction Scottish pistols. Often, collectors consider Scottish made guns to be rare compared to their British counterparts. There were simply less gunsmiths working during this period.
Your initial guess of the 1840's period was not far off. My guess, with the all metal construction, captured ramrod, and what appears to be a hook-style breech, might place the pistol in the 1850-60 era.
Two questions:

1 Is the barrel rifled or smooth bore ?
2 Is the barrel and breech/plug of the hook-style ? In other words, is there an easy way to unfasten the barrel and simply lift it off the stock ? The breech tang and barrel/plug being seperate pieces ?

Thanks. The pistol, especially if Scottish made, is a nice collectors piece.

Rick