Flint pistols

[running horse]

I am trying to find info on flintlock pistol styles and time frames, wondering if anyone has a suggestion of where to look I have been searching for a wile and see lots of pictures but no info on style type, or timeframe for a given gun. Thinking of building one that fits roughly 1740s or so. Any help would be great thanks.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Much will depend on what the source of the pistol would have been. Most of that period would have been similar to what you'd later see as Sea & Land Service pistols used by the military with longer barrels than they would later be. German guns were usually even longer in the barrel than French or English. Civilian guns were a mix. Many were just fancy versions of the plainer military style but the twist-off style now know as Queen Anne style wee very popular in Britain, and to some extent, the colonies. Their unique twist-off feature allowed less powder to achieve slightly higher velocity and was the very popular Glock of it's day!
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1524/1342/products/on8694__1.jpg?v=1505452024
plain
http://c8.alamy.com/comp/B47F14/a-...t-in-lige-circa-1740-round-stepped-B47F14.jpg
fancy
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/84/e6/1b/84e61b590edc3f0f63bf7e35422f6ac9.jpg
Queen Anne
http://c8.alamy.com/comp/D00BG0/a-...tlock-pistols-circa-1740-two-stage-D00BG0.jpg
North German
http://c8.alamy.com/comp/B4AWDN/a-...k-pistols-andre-nancy-circa-174050-B4AWDN.jpg
Very fancy French doubles by Andre E. Nancy, c.174-50

 

[running horse]

The individual that may have had one was raised and later lived on a plantation of about 800 acres. Family originally obtained the plantation in about 1630. Location is Lancaster county Virginia Beach corrotoman River if this helps any

 

[running horse]

And do you have rough dimensions of those stores of pistols, such as barrel length and overall length width and height? Thank you

 

[Wes/Tex]

Again it's going to depend on the style you choose but early in the 1700's pistols tended more toward 12" barrels and this shortened to more like 9" but mid century...this being in standard flintlock pistols. The Queen Anne types ran a bit shorter for their charging system allowed better velocity with shorter barrel. They also ran about a pound lighter in weight. Most standard civilian 'holster pistols' were based in style on military 'dragoon pistols' and ran 16 to 20 inches and weighed about 2 to 2.5 pounds. Most full sized Queen Anne types ran about 12 inches long and weighed about 1.5 pounds.

If your person was using an old family pistol it might be even be an early English lock type horse pistol from the mid 17th century. Hope some of this babbling helps! :wink:

 

[Artificer]

Unless your ancestors were other than British, the most likely origin of a family pistol/s would have been from England and probably London, though maybe Birmingham.

An 800 acre plantation there would normally have meant your family was pretty well off, unless the Patriarch gambled his money away. So chances are your ancestor would have had enough money to buy up to a pretty fancy brace of pistols, if he wanted to. He probably would have had an agent or factor in London who sold his crops (most likely tobacco) and purchased items for your ancestor, which were then shipped to Virginia. Those items included guns, furniture, clothing and a whole host of other items; depending on what your ancestor requested of his agent/factor.

Gus

 

[running horse]

The family was originally from Kempston England and some of the info I have doesn't appear to be right just die to time frame (says he was born in 1630) as a merchant and business man he came to the colonies in 1635 and purchased the plantation where the family stayed until after the revolutionary war when my line started moving inland. I am hoping to find and perhaps recreate many of the articles they could have had. Particularly around the 1750 through the end of the revolution. It does leave kind of a broad timeframe for firearms as I assume there was guns passed down in the family as there was many who served in the militia from the beginning and newer guns purchased along the way. Thank you for your assistance, I will look more into those pistols as I continue with my research. I appreciate the info and any other thoughts people have thank you

 

[Grumpa]

A nice brace of double-barreled flintlock pistols; now that is the cat's meow! :wink:

Richard/Grumpa

 

[running horse]

Double barreled sounds interesting.sends like it would be harder to pull back a hammer on the off side