Question about barrel stamping

fahnenschmied · 3rd October 2009, 04:39 AM

Many thanks for the reply! Is this Matthius Kalthoff the son of Peter Kalthoff? I might have to look about for some of his other work. It would be very interesting if I knew if this little gun (or parts of it) had been around here for a long time...in this area there was almost no Europeans living until 1710. Most of the original colonists here in New Bern came from Switzerland and southern Germany. However, none of the old letters from the Swiss colonists, nor John Lawson's books, mentions guns in any detail. I have always wondered if any of the colonist brought any from "home" or if they purchased them in England, where they left from. Perhaps I can try to track down just who donated this thing, but I think it was aquired in the 60s... Usually folks have everything wrong- - The musket supposedly used in the Revolution plainly has an 1808 stamped on the lockplate, or the "Gun used by my grandfather in the Civil War" is a plain old Belgian rabbit-eared double of 1880s vintage.
I cannot find any good photos online of the sort of guard I think this one was modified from. I helped a friend inlet a gun he was building, a copy of a French trade fusil from 1720 - 30; the guard looked much like this one must have when new. It could have been modified to look just like this one, in fact, its what caught my eye about this gun in the first place. I just don't know how far back that style of guard goes...
Thanks again to everybody who has given input - quite an amazing wealth of knowledge here!

Dave

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3rd October 2009, 04:39 AM	#21
fahnenschmied Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 12	Many thanks for the reply! Is this Matthius Kalthoff the son of Peter Kalthoff? I might have to look about for some of his other work. It would be very interesting if I knew if this little gun (or parts of it) had been around here for a long time...in this area there was almost no Europeans living until 1710. Most of the original colonists here in New Bern came from Switzerland and southern Germany. However, none of the old letters from the Swiss colonists, nor John Lawson's books, mentions guns in any detail. I have always wondered if any of the colonist brought any from "home" or if they purchased them in England, where they left from. Perhaps I can try to track down just who donated this thing, but I think it was aquired in the 60s... Usually folks have everything wrong- - The musket supposedly used in the Revolution plainly has an 1808 stamped on the lockplate, or the "Gun used by my grandfather in the Civil War" is a plain old Belgian rabbit-eared double of 1880s vintage. I cannot find any good photos online of the sort of guard I think this one was modified from. I helped a friend inlet a gun he was building, a copy of a French trade fusil from 1720 - 30; the guard looked much like this one must have when new. It could have been modified to look just like this one, in fact, its what caught my eye about this gun in the first place. I just don't know how far back that style of guard goes... Thanks again to everybody who has given input - quite an amazing wealth of knowledge here! Dave