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  1. mhb

    'Pappy' Suffolk pistol

    Many years ago, I was fortunate to meet Claude 'Pappy' Suffolk, who built some of the nicest and most authentic ML arms I've seen. Since that time, I've taken every opportunity offered to acquire examples of his work: 2 full-stocked flint .54 plains rifles (one signed by him), a revolutionary...
  2. mhb

    How old are ya?

    I'm 77, and have been shooting muzzle loaders since I was 15 (62 years), when I ordered a Numrich Boot Pistol - which was sent through the mail, complete with a plastic flask containing 4 oz. of powder, a bullet mold, and a tin of French caps (which absolutely refused to split, and had to be...
  3. mhb

    Hi, question musket

    That is more logical - 17mm is .669", which is a likely bore for a musket of that era. mhb - MIke
  4. mhb

    Hi, question musket

    That is even more confusing - 13mm is about .51" ( .51 caliber), which is much smaller than any contemporary musket bore - is there any evidence that the bore has been reduced by lining? mhb - MIke
  5. mhb

    Hi, question musket

    You did not say what the bore diameter is - but the stampings on the barrel's breech ' 16 G GUNIRON ' would seem to indicate that the bore is 16 ga. (nominally .663"), and the barrel material is gun iron, which is proper for the period, but would not have been an original marking found on a...
  6. mhb

    Need help with smoothbore I D

    It appears to be an original barrel, lock and furniture rebuilt with a new stock - and nicely done. mhb - MIke
  7. mhb

    Percussion Pistol Identification - Breslau

    I thought about that, but, in the photos, the geometry looks wrong for that purpose - with the hammer down (as it is), it appears that the 'safety' would still rotate without contacting the breast of the ****. It is possible that, if the lock was converted from flint, the geometry of the...
  8. mhb

    Percussion Pistol Identification - Breslau

    That is a very fine pistol. The overall style, smoothbore and number (2) make it very likely one of a duelling pair. It appears that it may be a conversion from an originally flintlock arm, and it would be interesting to know what, exactly, the levered plate which appears to support the...
  9. mhb

    Pair of unidentified pistols

    Hornady swaged roundballs for .32 caliber are .315" diameter. They also offer swaged buckshot, with 00 measuring .330" and 000 at .350" - the 000 size with proper patch would probably work best in your pistols. mhb - MIke
  10. mhb

    Pair of unidentified pistols

    Well, if the two were Democrats... I lived and worked in Thailand for a bit over 8 years, altogether, with my last overseas tour being 4 years working out of the embassy in Bangkok. I did a year at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA for Thai Language, and was once fairly...
  11. mhb

    Pair of unidentified pistols

    After looking more closely at the inscription on the lockplates, it dawned on me that it is actually the customary Thai greeting "Sawaddee", though the script at first looked odd... mhb - MIke
  12. mhb

    Pair of unidentified pistols

    They are commonly made and used by most, if not all, of the hilltribes of SEA - I have seen them in use in the Golden Triangle. Most often they are used for small game, with coarse shot which is also sold in the hill markets. Typical bore diameter is ca. 1/2" or slightly smaller. I did see...
  13. mhb

    Pair of unidentified pistols

    The pistols are from SE Asia, possibly Laos or Cambodia, judging from the script on the lockplates. They are of better-than-average workmanship for the area, but are still crude. The hammers might be from an original DB shotgun, but all other parts are probably locally made. Barrels are...
  14. mhb

    Help Identify Relic From Ireland

    I only mentioned that it could have been a conversion from flint as a possibility. Flintlock musket barrels were very commonly available from obsolete arms, and could be shortened and bored-out if desired (and if there was enough material in the original barrel to permit doing so) in making-up...
  15. mhb

    Help Identify Relic From Ireland

    Not much can be said with any authority, considering the condition of the barrel, however: the barrel is not from a flintlock, having clear evidence of a percussion bolster and nipple at the breech end (it could have been converted from a flintlock barrel at some time, though). And it was...
  16. mhb

    In hot water?

    The non-gaseous products of combustion of BP are all water-soluble, and is it not necessary to 'neutralize' them in order to remove them with water cleaning. The same is true of Potassium Chloride residue from firing corrosive primers in unmentionable firearms - water is all that is necessary...
  17. mhb

    Round groove vs square cut rifling?

    E-mail sent. mhb - MIke
  18. mhb

    Need info on this very old German shotgun

    Thank you for the additional photos. Your specimen is a double-barreled percussion shotgun by the same maker as that which you originally posted, but not the same model, judging by their respective features. The maker's name appears to be 'Zapff', rather than 'Zapet' in Hamburg. Yours was...
  19. mhb

    Need info on this very old German shotgun

    If the peep sight is present on your specimen, and it also has a set trigger, as does the pictured arm, it may be a combination gun, with a rifle barrel and a shot barrel. In any case, if yours is a product of the same maker, it is a quality arm. The pictured specimen also seems to be unusual...
  20. mhb

    Please help identify this cannon

    No opinion on the price - my concerns are with the original purpose and construction(?) of the piece. If you want it as a decorator, the value is TBD. If you have any intention to shoot it, I highly recommend you closely inspect its actual design: for instance, if you lift up the 'flap' which...
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