Hello firearms fans. This came to me last week from a local estate clean out. I "believe" I've narrowed it down to an early 19th century (perhaps, model of 1816), French Officer's pistol. It's appx. .69 caliber, and has a very nicely done bolster-style conversion to percussion (where the base of the previous flashpan is nicely contoured along the bottom of the percussion bolster). I can find absolutely NO markings on this piece whatsoever, but as I've not endeavored to disassemble it, I presume the barrel may have some markings on the under-side. The overall length is roughly 10 inches, and the barrel measures just 4 7/8 inches long. The barrel is secured via one screw at the rear, and by a double-strapped brass nose cap, held in place by a single spring bar. The brass butt extends up along the rear of the grip a short way, and it has a nice heavy brass trigger guard and escutcheon. Can anyone positively ID this little guy, if it ISN'T the model of 1816? The pistol is in really remarkably nice condition overall. A couple of quick pix below.
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Can't help with the ID but it sure is a nice piece. Glad you got it.
Wilhelm -
Thanks Wilhelm. Glad you like it too...Comment
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FWIW, this sure looks like the same gun and it has the benefit of having French markings so the id is pretty positive.
http://www.cowansauctions.com/auctio...x?ItemId=46137
As a general rule, just about any French pattern was also manufactured in Belgium so it seems you can never be sure without markings.Comment
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Hi Rob. Thanks, and funny you should reference this photo, as it's the same one I found with which to base my presumption that what I have is the same model. You're right on about the Belgian connection, so I suppose that would also be a possibility. It's very well made, and whether French or Belgian, it's a nice little pistol. Thanks for your comments.Comment
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