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I'm sure a grinding wheel was used at some point. It may have also have been on a belt sander as there are vertical marks from just north of the cutting edge all the way to the back of the blade! However, it is quite sharp and will slice a sheet of copy paper without issue. You should be able to...

I know better than to do something like that.

Short answer.... 1. Not much 2. Cost a little more the bigger they are and not hard to find at all.

Probably made in India.

I have a .38 cal. Southern Mountain Rifle. I lube the patches with Lube 103, which I have been unable to find recently. A generous coat of this lube keeps my rifle functioning indefinitely with no loss of accuracy. When I run out of 103 don't know what I will do!

Thanks very much for the consideration. Yes, Scots had a lot to do with American history, especially in the area where I grew up - the sandhills region of North Carolina. There are huge numbers of Scottish descendants still living there and in the US as a whole, while estimates vary, it is...

There were three economic levels in Highland agriculture. Tacksmen, who received leases on the chief's property for nominal sums, plus military service. Tenants, who leased tracks from the tacksmen and cottars who simply worked the land for small wages paid by the tenants. It was a rotten system...

Looking at an earlier post, where you opined that some of the dissatisfaction with the munitions grade swords resulted from the training and swords used by the soldiers in earlier times, i.e. pre-Culloden, here is what I think about that. A number of sources, especially some recent writings by...

The information I have on the two military swords indicates they were both made by Dru Drury but I have no way of confirming that, other than by zooming in on the picture. The markings on the blades include the crown and what appears to be "Drury" when magnified. This photo was supplied by a...

The two firms making swords for the Highland regiments were Dru Drury and Nathaniel Jefferys, both based in London. Anthony Darling speculated that actual manufacturing took place in Birmingham with Drury being the most prolific maker. At some point it appears that the firms combined, based on...

Here is another photo of an enlisted man's sword. I did not take this one, it was given to me by the Tartans Museum and the sword was supposedly found in SW NC, where the Montgomery Highlanders were sent to displace the Cherokee. But, I do not know if that is factual. Thanks for your thoughts...

It appears that most liners in original basket hilts were made to protect the front of the hand only and did not cover the entire interior of the hilt. While there are early hilts with full liners they seem to have been late additions. The backsword blades and baskets for that mattter, which...

I thought the demo was interesting and learned quite a bit from it. However, he made an incorrect statement right out of the chute. Broadsword and backsword are terms which define the number of sharpened edges on swords. Therefore, you can have a "Viking broadsword" and most of them were. Also...

I shoot there regularly. I have only seen one muzzle loading shooter there and he was managing OK. However, it has a concrete base, which is to be expected, so bring something to pad the butt while loading. They have 50 yard ranges for pistols and rifles and out to 250 yards for rifle. The rifle...

The “heron butt” comment is something I wondered about too. I do not think it refers to the Scottish long guns and assuming it doesn’t then what is the commenter talking about? While it is tempting to say some of the 17th c. Scottish long guns were in the hands of the Jacobites, it is unlikely...

Of course I have one of the Waters pistols and it is pictured in an earlier post. Mine is a Navy Arms version. The grip is quite small and my large hands leave the ring and little fingers touching the tip of the forward lobe and hanging over the bottom of the grip respectively. The earliest...

Thanks very much for the responses. I was familiar with John Wilson and thought I had found something. The first tip off was the half tang with the pins. Secondly I discovered that after 1890 manufacturers were required to list a country or even city of origin on their wares and, of course, this...

I recently acquired this butcher knife at a local antique/junk store. Got it for a good price I think. My research places it prior to 1890 and perhaps much earlier. The markings on the blade are "I. Wilson Shear Steel" There is no city or country of origin anywhere on it, as was required after...

I assume this is the pistol to which you are referring. It is a good replica of the Waters contract pistol but, of course it post-dates the Jacobite era. I like it for the working Highland lock as much as anything. As a handgun, it makes a good bludgeon!

Touch hole liners weren't used by the makers turning out these pistols.