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  1. J

    Need help identifying Muzzleloader

    Very nice musket... yours was proved by Rufus Sibley and I suspect is one of the 2,500 purchased by the state during the War of 1812, all of which makes it an exceptional example.
  2. J

    Muzzle Loader ID info

    Its very unlikely to be all that old. The law that required all imported items to be stamped in English with their country of origin is the McKinley Tariff Act. I think that it came into effect in 1892. Without even looking at it, I suspect that your gun was imported some time in the 60s when...
  3. J

    Need help identifying Muzzleloader

    Most militia muskets have pinned barrels. About 1/3 of them have barrel bands and are roughly based on the regulation patterns. When this is the case it is most likely that they were assembled from condemned or obsolete armory parts which were regularly sold off by the government. The lock could...
  4. J

    Need help identifying Muzzleloader

    It began life as a Massachusetts Militia Musket. The marks on the barrel are proof marks according to the Massachusetts proof law of 1805. The initials on the left are for the "prover of firearms" and the date it was done. If you can find a copy of George Moller's "Massachusetts Military...
  5. J

    Has anyone fired a REAL 1851 Navy?

    I have, albeit many years ago. I have also shot the M1860 and the Starr SA. In the 50s one of my friends belonged to a local muzzle loading "all percussion" pistol team, all or nearly all of whom shot 51 navies. They would challenge local police departments, all of which were armed with .38...
  6. J

    "howdah pistol" vs. "officer's pistol"?

    A howda is the little enclosure, perched on the back of an elephant, that the shooter sits in when tiger hunting in India. The tigers were baited and the hunter was supposed to shoot them from the elephant. If he missed, it was not unknown for the tiger to literally jump onto the elephant and...
  7. J

    Blunderbuss id

    Zonie, The Ordnance Private Proof mark has crossed scepters and crown - just like those illustrated - but does not have the letters BPC and V added to them. When the B'ham proof house opened they adopted what had been the Ordnance Private mark, simply adding those letters. So... without the...
  8. J

    Blunderbuss id

    Some time after 1813 but, given the shape of the barrel (which is fairly old fashioned) I'd guess before 1820. It also was never converted to percussion. It is certainly Birmingham made and may or may not have had a maker's name on the lock. The date comes from the B'ham proof marks, which were...
  9. J

    Need Help IDing Rifle

    A very interesting point that I completely missed. Its obviously a converted Austrian musket/rifle but that conversion is quite unusual... they are also called "Belgian Conversions" which is what I think our Ordnance Department called the process. The hammer with the long spur pointing straight...
  10. J

    is it original

    I apologize for my terse response. I was in a hurry last night. The parts look to be commonly available reproductions and the shaping of the stock is off... by that I mean it has a slightly awkward look that isn't likely to be seen in an original. But, there is no reason to think it had to be...
  11. J

    is it original

    no
  12. J

    Welcome Mathewson rifle and horn

    Thats interesting. I haven't been offered it but, even if I had the money, I would far rather participate in an open and well advertised auction. I'd be surprised if the whole thing brought 20% of Bill Guthman's estimate. For the sake of the family I hope I'm wrong... but I've bought 4 NE rifles...
  13. J

    Richard Wilson Flint Pistols--seeking information

    Thats certainly plausible. I strongly suspect that the Wilson's did most of their business with America and that what you have is about as good a pair of realistically Revolutionary War holster pistols and I've seen in years.
  14. J

    Richard Wilson Flint Pistols--seeking information

    The Wilson's were a prolific family but, be warned, several generations of Wilsons used the identical mark. The date marks on the silver will be a far more useful dating tool. I believe they dominated the Anglo-American trade before and during the Revolution and were displaced by the Ketlands...
  15. J

    Identifying old cartridge box

    Nice. A militia "belly box" common from about the beginning of the 19th century until about the 1830s. Forced to guess, I'd say around the War of 1812 but from the newspapers you found, made into cartridges, it was obviously used for the last time much later. They are fairly common in New...
  16. J

    Richard Wilson Flint Pistols--seeking information

    There is a very good article on the Wilson gunmakers by Dr. DeWitt Bailey available from the ASAC (American Society of Arms Collectors) http://asoac.org/bulletins/85_bailey_wilsons.pdf Bailey is the unquestioned authority on the Wilson family.
  17. J

    17th-century New England arms

    They were banned for purposes of militia service. But, since "gun collecting" hadn't been invented and, while all male citizens 16 and older* had to be armed, this was effectively the same thing. Very few people had or could afford or had any use for a 2nd gun. Likely the old matchlocks were...
  18. J

    London Gunsmith

    Also, Farralll's makers mark isn't recorded. It almost certainly contained an "F" and the location described, between the proof marks, is where it should be. Without photos its impossible to tell what you have but this is a distinct possibility.
  19. J

    London Gunsmith

    From Blackmore's "London Gunmakers" There are two entries under "Farrall/Farrill." The first, George Farrell shows up as an apprentice in the gunmakers company 1681. There doesn't seem to be further reference to him. The second Farrell is John, who was free of the gunmakers company in 1746 but...
  20. J

    London Gunsmith

    There is probably no more meaningless term than "London" on an English gun. Almost everyone, especially export merchants used that address even though nearly none of their guns were made there. Photos of the name and especially the proof marks on the barrel (usually at the breech on the left...
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