1766 charleville engraving

[Hawkeyes143]

Hello all I just received my 1766 charleville kit from dixie gun works. I am a little stumped. The engraving says cbarleville .I called them up and they told me that's how its been for years. Any one have one with the same issue and understand why. Need to figure a way to fix.Thanks again all.Hawkeyes

 

[64Springer]

You sure it's not a heavy cursive h with the bottom of the letter more of a circle?

My Pedersoli Charleville looks like a b too.

 

[Hawkeyes143]

Here you go

 

[64Springer]

Looks like the laser engraver left some burn marks.

But it's definitely not a b.

I would disassemble the lock and polish the plate to try and remove the burnt area.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Stylized "h". I don't know what font it is, but there are fonts that are pretty much illegible to modern readers. The "b" in that font would look different. Gimme a minute to consult my printer's reference material.... OK, back now. The font bears some resemblance to some of the fonts in Appendix II, Popular Imports of the book American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century, by Mac McGrew. This is a rather rare title that is out of print. I obtained mine from a rare book dealer in London. Yeah, it was a pricey reference book that will never leave my library until I have croaked.

The fonts Rhapsodie and Stradivarius in that section have a similarly styled capital "C" and "h". The "b" characters in both fonts look very much like the "h". My best guess: decorative Italian font, possibly an italicized version. It also looks somewhat like certain script fonts, but as the letters do not connect as they would in a true script font, they are not scripts.

So, in a nutshell, it's spelled correctly in a decorative font with legibility issues. Be glad it is not done in anything like Blackletter

Yeah, I am a hobbyist letterpress printer as well. JOAT is what I am I guess.

 

[Hawkeyes143]

Thanks for the education. I should be happy I have it.

 

[FlinterNick]

Well one thing i can say for sure is that original charleville’s were engraved by hand, and didn’t look nearly as nice or perfect. The lockplates were also pretty thin, which meant the engraving needed to be shallow and a little wider / larger.

 

[Powder Flask Collector]

I found a picture of an original M1777 lockplate

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_417762

The engraving is rather different from that shown above


and here i found a photo of an original lockplate M1766 Charleville

https://www.americanrevolutioninsti...le-musket-detail-1-lock-Finkenstaedt-2008.jpg

 

[Hawkeyes143]

I found a picture of an original M1777 lockplate

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_417762

The engraving is rather different from that shown above


and here i found a photo of an original lockplate M1766 Charleville

https://www.americanrevolutioninsti...le-musket-detail-1-lock-Finkenstaedt-2008.jpg

Thank you for confirming what I thought I try to get in touch with pendersoli when I purchased a kit from Dixie gunworks the hwas laser to look like a b and they cannot do anything for me. The answer I got from Dixie was that's how they come Show up setting

 

[FlinterNick]

Thank you for confirming what I thought I try to get in touch with pendersoli when I purchased a kit from Dixie gunworks the hwas laser to look like a b and they cannot do anything for me. The answer I got from Dixie was that's how they come Show up setting

Not for nothing but … I think your expectations are little too high for a factory CNC made repro musket. Sounds like what you’d want is a custom made 1763 or 1766.

 

[FlinterNick]

Not for nothing but … I think your expectations are little too high for a factory CNC made repro musket. Sounds like what you’d want is a custom made 1763 or 1766.

Here is a 1763 rifle shoppe lock
I assembled from castings and engraved.

 

[Hawkeyes143]

Not for nothing but … I think your expectations are little too high for a factory CNC made repro musket. Sounds like what you’d want is a custom made 1763 or 1766.

Not really I just expect people to do there job.

 

[FlinterNick]

Not really I just expect people to do there job.

Well the expectation that a repro with modern stamps and proofs be hand engraved under warranty is … unrealistic. These are mass produced to meet a minimum standard. I recently did one I felt that the stock was average quality with a poorly made trigger and guard.however the kit turned out nicely.

The best 1763 originals are heavily flawed, no two are identical.

What you have is a very good quality representation of a later model 1763 produced around 1765.

 

[simonbeans]

I have 3 Charlevilles made or at least marketed by Navy Arms. Most like the Jap model of the 1863. The "engraving" on all 3 lock plates looks the same.

 

[FlinterNick]

I have 3 Charlevilles made or at least marketed by Navy Arms. Most like the Jap model of the 1863. The "engraving" on all 3 lock plates looks the same.
View attachment 240880
View attachment 240884
View attachment 240886

Yes these are the best quality 1763 repros.

 

[nhmoose]

Did Charleville's all have the brass replaceable pan?

 

[FlinterNick]

Yes these are the best quality 1763 repros.

No , only models 1777 and after. However it’s possible an earlier auxiliary model did.