Afghan Pistol

rickystl · 19th January 2019, 04:42 PM

Hello All. Here is a new addition. I believe this pistol was an Afghan bring-back at some point. But is more interesting than most I have seen. It's plain, robust, and undecorated. And made to be a working gun versus a tourist item.
At first, I thought the markings on the lock plate might be spurious judging from the original photos. But after receiving the pistol, I'm confident it's a genuine lock from a British Light Dragoon pistol from the early 19th Century. The lock and markings match exactly. And works/sparks perfectly. The barrel is .57 caliber, 9" long (possibly shortened during the period) and has British proof marks. But I can't make out the marks. The bore is in very good shape with just a partial coating of light rust. No corrosion. The vent hole in the barrel lines up perfectly with the pan. The barrel band, butt cap, trigger guard, and side plate are all hand made. The lock plate screws are genuine Military with good European cut threads. So I believe the screws are genuine with the lock plate. The stock is also hand made locally but with much better lock inletting than you normally see on these guns. But inside the lock mortise there is a stamp marked HERBERT in perfect English letters. Hmmmm. Curious. Don't have a clue what the connection would be (?) Maybe someone on the European Forum might know ?
A Google search turned up something interesting. This exact pistol was sold at Rock Island Auction, along with two other flintlock pistols on June 25, 2016, Lot # 2190. I bought it from a shooter/hobbiest on another forum.
So my impression is that this is an Afghan made pistol utilizing an original lock and barrel. And a good example of their custom of making guns with what ever combination of surplus parts were available, and hand making the rest.

I just wish I knew what the connection of the HERBERT stamp means ? Anyway picture heavy. Any comments most welcome. Thanks for looking.
Rick

19th January 2019, 04:42 PM	#1
rickystl Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO area. Posts: 1,621	Afghan Pistol Hello All. Here is a new addition. I believe this pistol was an Afghan bring-back at some point. But is more interesting than most I have seen. It's plain, robust, and undecorated. And made to be a working gun versus a tourist item. At first, I thought the markings on the lock plate might be spurious judging from the original photos. But after receiving the pistol, I'm confident it's a genuine lock from a British Light Dragoon pistol from the early 19th Century. The lock and markings match exactly. And works/sparks perfectly. The barrel is .57 caliber, 9" long (possibly shortened during the period) and has British proof marks. But I can't make out the marks. The bore is in very good shape with just a partial coating of light rust. No corrosion. The vent hole in the barrel lines up perfectly with the pan. The barrel band, butt cap, trigger guard, and side plate are all hand made. The lock plate screws are genuine Military with good European cut threads. So I believe the screws are genuine with the lock plate. The stock is also hand made locally but with much better lock inletting than you normally see on these guns. But inside the lock mortise there is a stamp marked HERBERT in perfect English letters. Hmmmm. Curious. Don't have a clue what the connection would be (?) Maybe someone on the European Forum might know ? A Google search turned up something interesting. This exact pistol was sold at Rock Island Auction, along with two other flintlock pistols on June 25, 2016, Lot # 2190. I bought it from a shooter/hobbiest on another forum. So my impression is that this is an Afghan made pistol utilizing an original lock and barrel. And a good example of their custom of making guns with what ever combination of surplus parts were available, and hand making the rest. I just wish I knew what the connection of the HERBERT stamp means ? Anyway picture heavy. Any comments most welcome. Thanks for looking. Rick Attached Images