very long barrel percussion pistol

Kmaddock · 1st January 2019, 04:31 PM

Well here is the gun and I have it all back in working order.

All that was wrong was the mainspring retaining screw which powered both the hammer and the trigger, was broken so I had to make and replace the screw as well as removing a lot of rust and crud build up

Took some effort to get into the mechanism but I got there in the end.
I had to drill out the hammer pin to get the hammer out as the screw head was mushed and this had to be then re manufactured but not much of a job really as I have a lathe.

I got the barrel unscrewed with a bit of persuasion using oxo acetylene torch and some cycles of hot and cold. Final quench was with diesel. which when you heat the treads up to around 200 Celsius and then syringe diesel onto the threads the diesel gets pulled into the treads and hence lubricate which greatly eases the two parts apart ( I checked thoroughly to ensure unloaded before this heating job)

So
19 inch barrel with tapered screw threads
No markings at all on gun except for 19 on the barrel, so this might be barrel length which would indicate non continental manufacture

The aging platina etc demonstrate to me that the parts were together for a v v long time

No proof mark I can make out and I do not think there was ever any makers marks

There is no mounting at all for a stock and in my opinion there never was one

Very unwieldy and impossible to aim accurately, small bead front sight
Approx 10 mm caliber

Nice smooth mechanism which cocks, locks and fires perfect

Any more opinions welcome
I am putting it down as a 1840. - 1860 takedown pistol for opertunistic poaching or hunting but with no stock it would probably have to be loaded with shot to have any chance of hitting game

Comments welcome

Happy 2019 to all

Ken

corrado26 · 2nd January 2019, 08:44 AM

In my foto archive I found nearly the same pistol with an attachable shoulder stock made as says the mark on the barrel at St. Eteinne in France.
corrado26

Mel H · 2nd January 2019, 03:33 PM

Having had a long time interest in antique arms and armour I have to say that I've only seen in passing, a couple of these 'turn off' box locks with barrels of such length, having said that, the pistol itself, is very similar to what is probably the most common product of the Belgian gun makers of the early/mid 19th C.
Seeing the photographs I realise that it is not merely a standard pistol body fitted with the extra length barrel, as I had assumed.
With those, the breech where the powder and ball is contained (they were loaded after removing the barrel) is less than an inch long and the powder capacity was limited to quite a small volume with the ball in a spherical seat on top. The first thing that I notice with this one is that the length of the breech is much greater, probably intended for a quantity of shot on top of the powder, rather than a ball.
Is the inside diameter of the breech parallel all of the way to the nipple or stepped down to a smaller powder chamber?

Kmaddock · 3rd January 2019, 09:24 AM

Hi Mel and Corrado26
Thanks for interest and Corrado26 you have found a v close match few differences but overall construction V similar.
Mel
The barrel narrows about an half an inch from the nipple to a v small diameter of maybe 4 mm or so but i am unsure if there is a chamber behind the constriction or not
there otherwise a uniform diameter for the remainder of the barrel

Thinking about the weapon it is v concealable and might have been designed to be used with or without the barrel attachment. ie a short or long ranged weapon
the absence of shoulder stock attachment though is awkward. but resting on a wall or fence would negate this difficultly

regards

Ken

Mel H · 4th January 2019, 02:01 PM

My first thoughts were that it was feasible that it was intended for dual use, that's what prompted my query about the diameter of the breech and its capacity to hold a shot or ball as well as the powder.

1st January 2019, 04:31 PM	#1
Kmaddock Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Ireland Posts: 543	Well here is the gun and I have it all back in working order. All that was wrong was the mainspring retaining screw which powered both the hammer and the trigger, was broken so I had to make and replace the screw as well as removing a lot of rust and crud build up Took some effort to get into the mechanism but I got there in the end. I had to drill out the hammer pin to get the hammer out as the screw head was mushed and this had to be then re manufactured but not much of a job really as I have a lathe. I got the barrel unscrewed with a bit of persuasion using oxo acetylene torch and some cycles of hot and cold. Final quench was with diesel. which when you heat the treads up to around 200 Celsius and then syringe diesel onto the threads the diesel gets pulled into the treads and hence lubricate which greatly eases the two parts apart ( I checked thoroughly to ensure unloaded before this heating job) So 19 inch barrel with tapered screw threads No markings at all on gun except for 19 on the barrel, so this might be barrel length which would indicate non continental manufacture The aging platina etc demonstrate to me that the parts were together for a v v long time No proof mark I can make out and I do not think there was ever any makers marks There is no mounting at all for a stock and in my opinion there never was one Very unwieldy and impossible to aim accurately, small bead front sight Approx 10 mm caliber Nice smooth mechanism which cocks, locks and fires perfect Any more opinions welcome I am putting it down as a 1840. - 1860 takedown pistol for opertunistic poaching or hunting but with no stock it would probably have to be loaded with shot to have any chance of hitting game Comments welcome Happy 2019 to all Ken Attached Images

2nd January 2019, 08:44 AM	#2
corrado26 Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Black Forest, Germany Posts: 1,226	In my foto archive I found nearly the same pistol with an attachable shoulder stock made as says the mark on the barrel at St. Eteinne in France. corrado26 Attached Images

2nd January 2019, 03:33 PM	#3
Mel H Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: North East England. Posts: 107	Having had a long time interest in antique arms and armour I have to say that I've only seen in passing, a couple of these 'turn off' box locks with barrels of such length, having said that, the pistol itself, is very similar to what is probably the most common product of the Belgian gun makers of the early/mid 19th C. Seeing the photographs I realise that it is not merely a standard pistol body fitted with the extra length barrel, as I had assumed. With those, the breech where the powder and ball is contained (they were loaded after removing the barrel) is less than an inch long and the powder capacity was limited to quite a small volume with the ball in a spherical seat on top. The first thing that I notice with this one is that the length of the breech is much greater, probably intended for a quantity of shot on top of the powder, rather than a ball. Is the inside diameter of the breech parallel all of the way to the nipple or stepped down to a smaller powder chamber?

3rd January 2019, 09:24 AM	#4
Kmaddock Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Ireland Posts: 543	Hi Mel and Corrado26 Thanks for interest and Corrado26 you have found a v close match few differences but overall construction V similar. Mel The barrel narrows about an half an inch from the nipple to a v small diameter of maybe 4 mm or so but i am unsure if there is a chamber behind the constriction or not there otherwise a uniform diameter for the remainder of the barrel Thinking about the weapon it is v concealable and might have been designed to be used with or without the barrel attachment. ie a short or long ranged weapon the absence of shoulder stock attachment though is awkward. but resting on a wall or fence would negate this difficultly regards Ken

4th January 2019, 02:01 PM	#5
Mel H Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: North East England. Posts: 107	My first thoughts were that it was feasible that it was intended for dual use, that's what prompted my query about the diameter of the breech and its capacity to hold a shot or ball as well as the powder.