Can anyone help identify this flintlock?

[Joey T]

Pics here.

I inherited this as part of a larger collection. As you can see, somewhere along the way someone carved initials into it. I cannot make out all the lettering on the right side, but I think it ends in "a Luge"

I appreciate any help in finding out what I have, I would like to stick it up over the mantle, but if it is of any historical value I would rather see it displayed in public.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Need better pictures showing more of the gun and details to make an identification. "a Luge" is more than likely "a Liege" meaning that the lock (and probably the entire gun) was made in Liege, Belgium. Liege was and is a major European gun making center.

 

[pichou]

Looks like a Liège to me too. The first line would be the maker's name.

A nice 2nd half 18th c. contract musket.

I would go over it with turps and a rag, then wax the stock and oil the metal. It is in nice untouched condition.

Interesting stop on the cock, BTW

 

[Joey T]

I will try to take better pictures in the next week or so.

Is it valuable? Should I display it, put it in the safe, bury it in the back yard?

Will cleaning it make it any less valuable or collectible?

The barrel has a noticeable turn to the left, so I am certain I will never even think of shooting it

Any suggestions on cleaning, as in directions ( do I clean it like I do my Garand? ) and chemicals to use ( again, same as my more modern stuff, or something different? )

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

:shocked2: NO CHEMICALS!!!! :shocked2:
Sorry, had to get that in. The gun should be disassembled first. A simple wipe down of the wood with soap and water (not too much water) will do for the wood. Iron parts should be taken down completely but without the proper tools and a good knowledge of how to do it it is best to wipe the metal with an oily rag and let it go at that. You don't want to take the metal down to bright metal, leave the patina in place.

 

[Erzulis boat]

Looks like a Liège to me too. The first line would be the maker's name.

A nice 2nd half 18th c. contract musket.

I would go over it with turps and a rag, then wax the stock and oil the metal. It is in nice untouched condition.

Interesting stop on the cock, BTW

Good eye! I like that stop too...........now that you pointed it out.

 

[reddogge]

Don't touch it with anything until you show it to someone who can advise you. It sounds like you have zero experience with antique guns so best policy is don't touch.

Try here for some help.
Link

 

[musketman]

Use caution when handling it until you know it is unloaded, don't assume it is empty. It was common practice for guns around that era to be left loaded in case they needed them quickly.

 

You really need to reduce the size of your images for viewing on the web.

 

[Fabian23]

Nice old musket. The lock and trigger guard are modelled on the Brown Bess it seems. The barrel bands, particularly the front cap with the rod guide extension, make me think that this was for a small Germanic state. The other option is that it is a trade musket but then why bother with the fancy bands and interesting hammer stop.

 

[rootsy]

Personally they appear too small on my screen... But then again... One's screen resolution has more to do with the size of the image appearing on one's screen. Rather than the actual pixel size of the photo...

For example my resolution is set to 1680 x 1050 on a 21" monitor... I assume yours is probably in the neighborhood of 800 x 600 on a 17" or smaller and therefore that photo appears gigantic...

Now that we understand that it isn't all about ourselves onward...

 

Personally they appear too small on my screen... But then again... One's screen resolution has more to do with the size of the image appearing on one's screen. Rather than the actual pixel size of the photo...

For example my resolution is set to 1680 x 1050 on a 21" monitor... I assume yours is probably in the neighborhood of 800 x 600 on a 17" or smaller and therefore that photo appears gigantic...

Actually, my 22" monitor is set at 1680x1050. My monitor or my computer knowledge is not the issue, Einstein.

The images he posted are 2048x1536, which is rather large for the web. Not to mention the fact that they are 1.1 MEGABYTES which is impractical for the web.

Reload this page and watch how slowly the image loads. It should be about 200K, not a Megabyte.

 

[Claude Mathis]

If I may comment? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Carl is talking about file size, not dimensions. Most people upload images as they come from their camera, which is not always best for the web (or sending via email).

Images for the web should be in the kilobyte range, not megabytes. I find that you can fill most screens with a file no more than 400K and have it look great.

Remember, monitors cannot display more than about 90 ppi, so anything over that is lost and unnecessarily adds to the download time. Now, if you were going to print the images, then that's different. Higher resolution is called for when printing (DPI, not PPI).

And, the forum reduces the display dimensions of any images in your posts to 800 pixels, so anything over that will take even more time to load.

(now we're really off topic) :redface:

Please continue this in "Using the Forum", if you guys want to, but not here. Thanks

 

[Rick Davis]

Just a few observations:

• The pan bottom is rounded, Germanic designs were often geometric. This image is a good example.
• The barrel bands in photo DSCN4285 and DSCN4286.JPG strongly suggest French influence, perhaps a Dutch or Belgian copy. Note the forward sweep of the barrel band in photo DSCN4286.JPG, but yet it's brass like a Dutch musket. Most French muskets were iron, so this is very likely a copy. (Some French carbines were brass - see following photos)
• Also, if you look at the rear of the pan in photo DSCN4278.JPG you'll see it has a raised edge which almost contacts the hammer (nee cock). This was a late 18th c. design, but I recall the Dutch may have used this design much earlier.
• Look carefully at the first of the following photos. This is a Dutch contract musket. Does it appear similar to yours?

I have a collection of photos I took at Valley Forge Historical park, the musket collection in particular. Among those muskets are several French and Dutch muskets. Here's a sample. All enlarge with a mouse click: