Got a new smooth bore flintlock please help

[MooseHunter92]

Here we go fellas

 

[MooseHunter92]

Just cleaned this stamp mark out. (Was filled with crud) and not really sure what it is. I do remember the old man saying that they stamped all of their guns with a “little turtle” if I remember correctly

 

[MooseHunter92]

Also, it looks like right where the barrel meets the stock. Might be more stamps on the barrel. But I would have to take the barrel out. And I’m a little nervous about that. What do you guys recommend? I will include photos of the pins hence my hesitation..

 

[MooseHunter92]

Is this pin part of holding in the barrel? I did get this one to back out. Wondering if the barrel is just held in by this one and the tang screw?

 

[DuncNZ]

Would that be a thistle instead if a pineapple?

Being a British built shotgun, would that be a thistle rather than a pineapple?

It is a Pineapple , they were all the rage back then in the 1700's, the thistle is a Scottish emblem and the national flower of Scotland. The pineapple was a symbol of good luck and bountifulness . It was used on houses , walls, gates as well as firearms .

 

[DuncNZ]

Is this pin part of holding in the barrel? I did get this one to back out. Wondering if the barrel is just held in by this one and the tang screw?

The pin will be holding the ramrod pipe in place , no need to remove it . the Wedge key and the tang screw are all you need to remove the barrel .

 

[Kabulrocks]

It is a Pineapple , they were all the rage back then in the 1700's, the thistle is a Scottish emblem and the national flower of Scotland. The pineapple was a symbol of good luck and bountifulness . It was used on houses , walls, gates as well as firearms .

I would have lost that bet then, thanks for the info!

 

[Relic shooter]

If attachment photo 4BA2DE69-2D60-4C5F-A759-4AFFE3C76FD7.jpeg does not reflect a bulge in the barrel you really scored price wise.
If the interior condition of the lock & barrel as as nice as the exterior you will enjoy shooting a quality piece of history that will also increase in value.

I was fortunate at an early age to know an excellent gunsmith who taught me the skills on how to determine if a firearm was safe to shoot & how to determine proper loads. Most are European / English manufacture that had been well cared for as your flint fowler appears. I'm betting the interior of your lock will be in like new condition due to superior metallurgy & fitting.. About 30 years ago I acquired a beautiful English percussion 12 ga. fowler with a bulge in the barrel. I sleeved it with a quality .58 cal. rifled tube , installed sights & made it into a great sporting & target rifle. Enjoy hunting with a true piece of history
Have someone that is competent in antique firearms & firing them check yours out before test firing it.

 

[waksupi]

If you can’t find a gunsmith that specializes in muzzleloading shotguns, at a minimum, I would take a close look with a borescope. If you don’t know someone with one or own one yourself, they can be had for well under $100 dollars. Niece’s farther in law had an old double with Damascus tubes. He knew I was into muzzleloaders and asked me to take a look at it. Although it looked good, from the outside and with a small light down the bore, my borescope told a different story. Look like a couple miles of bad road. Niece’s husband and FIL decided to test fire it. Smoke came out of the breech area on the first shot and the stopped. The right barrel split at the breech, and further examination revealed collateral damage to the left barrel. Guess what? It was determined it was my fault for not raising more of a fuss that the barrels were suspect.

At a minimum, get a borescope and check out the bore. The gun deserves that. There are countless old guns with Damascus barrels being shot today without issue, just make sure yours is up to the task. Suggest you wait for a couple of our British forum members to offer their opinion (folks like @Feltwad and @Britsmoothy), they are very familiar with older smoothbores, more so than most here or I will ever will be.

I agree, you can get a borescope for under $20 on Ebay. I have an original double with Damascus barrels. Looks good on the outside, scary as hell on the inside.

 

[MooseHunter92]

The pin will be holding the ramrod pipe in place , no need to remove it . the Wedge key and the tang screw are all you need to remove the barrel .

Thank you for the info. Much appreciated

 

[MooseHunter92]

If attachment photo 4BA2DE69-2D60-4C5F-A759-4AFFE3C76FD7.jpeg does not reflect a bulge in the barrel you really scored price wise.
If the interior condition of the lock & barrel as as nice as the exterior you will enjoy shooting a quality piece of history that will also increase in value.

I was fortunate at an early age to know an excellent gunsmith who taught me the skills on how to determine if a firearm was safe to shoot & how to determine proper loads. Most are European / English manufacture that had been well cared for as your flint fowler appears. I'm betting the interior of your lock will be in like new condition due to superior metallurgy & fitting.. About 30 years ago I acquired a beautiful English percussion 12 ga. fowler with a bulge in the barrel. I sleeved it with a quality .58 cal. rifled tube , installed sights & made it into a great sporting & target rifle. Enjoy hunting with a true piece of history
Have someone that is competent in antique firearms & firing them check yours out before test firing it.

Right on thank you for the kind words. I am very happy with the purchase. And it comes with a great story. The old man and I talked for a long time. Some of the advice (from a stranger) especially an old school man that he was. Was truly genuine. And much appreciated. His daughter before I left told me that she hasn’t seen him that happy and excited to talk to someone in years. Which felt really good. I will probably go by an see him again soon just to have a cup of hot coffee on the porch and talk! Super interesting guy. He’s seen a LOT change in his lifetime

 

[MooseHunter92]

B

I agree, you can get a borescope for under $20 on Ebay. I have an original double with Damascus barrels. Looks good on the outside, scary as hell on the inside.

She sure is a beauty on the outside

 

[DuncNZ]

I agree, you can get a borescope for under $20 on Ebay. I have an original double with Damascus barrels. Looks good on the outside, scary as hell on the inside.

I love those Dolphin head hammers .

 

[DuncNZ]

I agree, you can get a borescope for under $20 on Ebay. I have an original double with Damascus barrels. Looks good on the outside, scary as hell on the inside.

I looked at a bore scope on Ali Barba , decided on 1 I wanted but didn't order , now its on the way , about $9 US

 

[Robby]

If attachment photo 4BA2DE69-2D60-4C5F-A759-4AFFE3C76FD7.jpeg does not reflect a bulge in the barrel you really scored price wise.
If the interior condition of the lock & barrel as as nice as the exterior you will enjoy shooting a quality piece of history that will also increase in value.

I was fortunate at an early age to know an excellent gunsmith who taught me the skills on how to determine if a firearm was safe to shoot & how to determine proper loads. Most are European / English manufacture that had been well cared for as your flint fowler appears. I'm betting the interior of your lock will be in like new condition due to superior metallurgy & fitting.. About 30 years ago I acquired a beautiful English percussion 12 ga. fowler with a bulge in the barrel. I sleeved it with a quality .58 cal. rifled tube , installed sights & made it into a great sporting & target rifle. Enjoy hunting with a true piece of history
Have someone that is competent in antique firearms & firing them check yours out before test firing it.

I'm assuming it was a single barreled fowler relic shooter, if you were to sleeve an old double barreled fowler, would you have to totally disassemble the barrels and process them singly? i have some old Damascus doubles, barrels only, one a pin fire, that look pretty good on the exterior but the bores are totally unusable.
I have been sitting on them for years, iv'e never having seen the process done and I am thinking I would like to give it a go, not sure where to start.
Robby

 

[Gordoncourtney]

Do any of you fellas know what something like this would be worth?

Study Holts auction Norfolk uk Just type in “holts auctioneers “

 

[Relic shooter]

I'm assuming it was a single barreled fowler relic shooter, if you were to sleeve an old double barreled fowler, would you have to totally disassemble the barrels and process them singly? i have some old Damascus doubles, barrels only, one a pin fire, that look pretty good on the exterior but the bores are totally unusable.
I have been sitting on them for years, iv'e never having seen the process done and I am thinking I would like to give it a go, not sure where to start.
Robby

BARREL SLEEVING;
Robby installing a sleeve does require gunsmithing skills & a lathe. Due to my being a relic it's been about 20 years since I was active in this area but I'm betting that forum members can recommend barrel makers that will do a great job for you.
Soaking the breach & nipple area in a 50/50 mixture of acetone & auto transmission fluid & putting a couple ounces of the same mixture down the bores will make disassembly a breeze.
Relic Shooter

 

[toot]

The pineapple finial first made it appearance around 1786 but it took another 40 years before it became the most used , the acorn and the acanthus were still popular in the early 1800,s also lets not forget that prior to 1800 most English guns were built with foreign barrel for which the were stamped with a letter F proof marks are the best for the gun age but they also have faults .
Feltwad

what is the meaning of each one?

 

[Gordoncourtney]

what is the meaning of each one?

1775 Queen Anne period

 

[toot]

now that is an ACORN by any means. not a pineapple.