Bess Had A Baby!

[2001guns]

Still doin my research on this little girl. Overall she's 42 inches. Barrel is 27.5 inches. Weighs a whopping 4 pounds exactly. Barrel stamped "31" for 31 bore, that's .531.
Lock is marked "Tower" at the rear of the lock and the Crown with TW under is at the front. It is 5.5 inches long.
The barrel is stamped with the usual British inspection marks and U.S stamped on the underside of the barrel. Pattern on the barrel may be Japanning? Not wire wound Damascus.
All Brown Bess Carbines I have found so far are .75 caliber not .53.
Pinning down some history for this little beauty is gonna be fun. Just in time for Christmas.
The Short Pattern Bess in the photos is my shooter.
Appreciate any help here.
Hope y'all have a good Christmas!

 

[NeilMacleod]

Nice

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
It has nothing to do with Brown Bess. The barrel has what looks like Birmingham proofs so it dates after 1813. It is someone's attempt to create a dragoon or cavalry carbine using old parts. I have no idea what the crown over "TW" stands for. It is certainly not British government issue. British carbines were carbine bore meaning about 0.66 caliber. Occasionally they made musket bore carbines but the vast majority were carbine bore. In your case, the barrel could be anything because it is not government made or issued. The flintcock looks to be a crude replacement. I suspect it was made for some militia or volunteer unit during the second or third decade of the 19th century dating about the same time as the late India pattern British musket you show above it.

dave

 

[andy52]

I'd like to have something like that in 20 ga.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Pretty cool

 

[CyrusP]

Neat little piece indeed!