Belgian touchmark

[George]

This touchmark is on a Belgian calvary flintlock "horse pistol" ca 1840. It's between the hammer and pan on the round-face lock. Can anyone decipher it? Is that a crown, possibly denoting state property, which it would have been?

Spence

 

[Fabian23]

If this pistol is what I think it is, the pattern of these mysterious pistols has intregued me for some time. I see them refered to Belgian Navy or Cavalry pistols and they often have this cartouche between the pan and cock, sometimes with different letters or even with turkish arsenal marks. All my efforts to find out where they come from and who used them have failed. Since that period was the firearms boom in Belgium I guess this pistol was a standard model available to order.

 

[George]

If this pistol is what I think it is, the pattern of .....

It's from a ca 1840 "horse pistol", the type carried in two pommel holsters by cavalrymen. Belgian military, or so I've always thought. Note the lanyard ring on the butt. The underside of the breech is marked with ELG* in an oval.

Spence

 

[JV Puleo]

A very common pistol... they were never used by the Belgian military but they were made in Belgium. There are so many of them, almost always in reasonably good condition, that the generally accepted theory is that they were made very late... well into the percussion era. There is a very similar pistol (with a ramrod) that was sold to native princes in India - which may have been the intended market. In any case, Bannerman bought and sold a pile of them, as did, I think, Sears Roebuck around the turn of the century. I believe Mike Carrick talks about these in the most recent issue of Gun Report.

 

[Fabian23]

That's the one, a nice sturdy pistol for playing at the range.

 

[George]

A very common pistol... they were never used by the Belgian military but they were made in Belgium.

Thanks for the info, good to know. Not surprising, I know I've seen several over the years.

I have shot this one a bit just to see what it would be like. It's about 68 caliber and shoots about like it looks. It's an industrial strength gun, whatever its history.

Spence

 

[Fabian23]

Well if it was for cavalry it should have enough punch to take down a galloping steed at close range.