British Light Sea Service Dragoon project !

[wiscoaster]

I'm sure Dave was just having a little fun at our expense and I just over-reacted, as I usually do. No hard feelings and no worries.

 

[BCWILL]

Well Dave there goes my plans for a nice Seahorse Carving on the Grip !🤦‍♂️

🤪😂👌

 

[BCWILL]

Back to business…..
Got the metal work mostly finished up…turned down those humongous Lock bolts to about 1/2 of what they were. Rubbed down the high polish and gave it some “grey”
I just prefer the grey look vs
the polish🤷🏻‍♂️
Got some reworking to do on the brass then onto that nice piece of wood 😬
Sorry my lighting in the shop isn’t the best for pics…

 

[BCWILL]

The lock bolts heads were so large the front one actually rendered the belt hook useless…..much better now and abit more “correct” 👍

 

[PathfinderNC]

I think this was actually the British Sea Service Dragon Pistol, particularly designed for use in Loch Ness.

 

[BCWILL]

I think this was actually the British Sea Service Dragon Pistol, particularly designed for use in Loch Ness.

Now that’s Provenance 😆👌

 

[Xenophon]

The lock bolts heads were so large the front one actually rendered the belt hook useless…..much better now and abit more “correct” 👍

So how did you alter the lock bolt heads?

 

[BCWILL]

I removed (turned) 50% off the backsides….they were almost 1/2” tall before. I tried to get them closer to original looking ones…..sorry I should have taken a before pic !
A pic of an original off the net…

 

[wiscoaster]

I like your idea of turning down the bolt heads. I might just have to do that, too. And also dulling the lock plate some, like you did. I think mine looks a little too "chromy", but I suppose I can also just wait for it to naturally patina.

 

[BCWILL]

…but I suppose I can also just wait for it to naturally patina.

I love the look of a well aged gun but I’ve got far more years behind me then I do in front of me so at this point I don’t have the patience 😜

I rubbed down the shine with some 0000 scotch pads….a little mustard for some dark spots here and there. Cold blue the works, then rub that back down to a dull grey !
Looks pretty good in
person IMO

 

[wiscoaster]

....
Looks pretty good in
person IMO

I like it. Well done!!

 

[fireman1]

Hi,
Light sea service dragoon pistol? You are kidding, right? So dragoons fought on ships?

dave

I'm glad I'm not the only one who had a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment.

 

[fireman1]

No, the Sea Service is not a dragoon pistol. Maybe you misread or mixed up something somewhere in the posts. There was a "lighter" Sea Service version came out later, but it was still a Sea Service. The Light Dragoon is a different pistol but similar to the Light Sea Service, as far as I can tell from various references. Names don't mean everything. This was two hundred years ago and reproductions today take liberties and can't be relied on as authentic in terms of form, function or NAME. And nobody here is certainly an expert on what's what wrt to variants that came out two centuries ago, examples of which only reside in museums, and only the museum curator is an "expert", so if labels get a little mixed up or a little muzzy, I don't think it's worth calling out in a ridiculing tone of voice.

I'm pretty sure that the guy you are lecturing in condescending way has forgotten more about these types of pistols than you will ever know.

 

[BCWILL]

Honestly folks it’s all good…. I added dragoon in the title for my own reasons, I see alot of these originals and repros for sale labeled as “British dragoons” even referred to as Sea service dragoons. I guess more to describe the style of pistol rather then who used it…at any rate the comments are fair enough ! I fully expected someone to mention it 😜
As i said in my 3rd sentence in post #1…this is a Repro British Sea Service Pistol 👍
Back to the task at hand….
Just tidying up the brass furniture now…the front of the triggerguard was pretty much a blob of brass….looks like they just fit these as cast then polish the heck out of them. Anyways with a bit of peening to fill in the inlet gaps and some reworking it looks abit more correct and certainly closer in appearance to original examples…👍


I included an original pic for reference…

 

[BCWILL]

The frizzen tail and pan bridle ends are left square and blocky on these….they don’t look very “finished” 🫤


Added abit of shape to the tail and rounded the front of the bridle abit…
Looks abit more refined 👍

 

[fireman1]

I really admire anyone that has the skills to build or improve these type of guns.