1823 Flintlock Dragoon Pistol

[WRTolkas]

I will be receiving an 1823 Flintlock Dragoon Pistol my mother purchased at a garage sale for ten-dollars. It is a 20 guage with 1823 stamped on the side-plate. The only part missing is the top of the vise that holds the flint. Other than that, the pistol is complete. This is old and with original iron hardware and ram-rod.

My question is this: how do I have this pistol checked to see if it is safe enough to fire a round? Or do I just leave as is and use it as a prop in my re-enactments?

 

[SAJones]

Not sure what an 1823 Dragoon pistol is, don't have a collector's referance for that year. If it appears to be an original, I would contact a local gun collector to determine what it is. It may be too valuable to shoot, especially if it's in not very good condition. I do shoot my original 1842 musket, as it is in fine condition, but my 1842 Aston pistol is a display piece.

If it's not an antique, find a competent blackpowder gunsmith to look at it. I would warrant a guess that if it's 20th century, it was probably made as a wall hanger. Seen lots of 'em

Incidentally, the year model designations we use so commonly were not used "back when". It came into widespread use by early 20th centurey arms collectors to easily designate their firearms, usually from first contract date or patent date. They were originally designated by their use or whatever improvements were made. Wish one of my collector buddies would make a list of the nomincaltures used by the military w/ the corresponding "year" model.

 

[Zonie]

Don't get your hopes up but one of the Primary Military Single Shot pistols was the Model 1819 made by Simeon North in 1819-1823.
It is a .54 caliber pistol with a 10 inch barrel. Mounted at the muzzle of the barrel was a swivel style ramrod. On the lock ahead of the hammer is stamped S.NORTH over an American Eagle. The date of production was marked on the lockplate at the rear of the lock, the most common being 1821 and 1822. ("FLAYDERMANS GUIDE, 6th ED p289).
There were a number of other Military style pistols made during this period however, at least in the U.S., they usually did not have the date of manufacture marked on them.
This doesn't rule out Forign made pistols, but it also doesn't rule out the gun being made as a wall hanger with the idea that it would never be shot.

A good Gunsmith should be able to tell you if the gun was real, and if it was safe to shoot.

 

[WRTolkas]

Dear Sir,

There is an eagle stamped on the plate and the ramrod is a swivel style ramrod. The barrel is too heavy, I believe, to be a wall display. The lock works and if fixed, could hold a flint and spark. Thanks for the information of what it could be. This gives me a start. I'd love to just shoot a round out of the pistol. When my mother first showed it to me, I thought the pistol was a toy.

Thanks

WRTolkas

 

[Zonie]

WR: Most of the libraries have a copy of FLAYDERMANS GUIDE. It is one of the recognized authorities for collectable American antique firearms.
You might want to see if you can find a copy.

Realizing that many people do not have digital cameras, I will understand if you cannot post a photo of your pistol, but it would be interesting to see it.

Zonie