Here's a nifty little smooth bore

[Mike Brooks]

This gun came out at an auction some time ago. Some of you will recognize the maker. The lock was originally flint, but is now a "pellet" lock. It was a pretty cool little gun. I believe these were refered to as coaching carbines in the day. I recall it was about a 20 bore.

[/img]

[/img]

[/img]

 

Hi Mike, would you explain to me what a "Pellet Lock" is and if it's not too much trouble could you show a close up of the lock, Looks like a great little gun, Thanks


TheGunCellar

 

[benvenuto]

a pellet or pill lock takes a small pellet of detonating compound instead of a cap to fire the charge. The pellets were either inserted into a hole in the breech and crushed by a short firing pin on the nose of the hammer. Some guns had a sort of cover on the nose with a hole in it. You took off the cover, put in the pellet, reassembled and were ready to fire. Lastly there were guns with a magazine full of priming pellets.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Sorry, these are the only photos I have of this gun. :boohoo:

 

[Dave K]

Probably a dumb question and I certainly have heard of the pellet ignition before, but is there any source to get these pellets? Just curious. Oh, nice gun!

 

[Okwaho]

Besides the one shown in Shumway this is the second gun by Turvey that I've seen.There was a fowler at Nashville I think. It was a half stock but still flint.I don't know whether it was originally a half stock or not. Any thoughts, Mike. The owner said he had turned down $3500 but if it had been cut back he probably should have sold it.
Tom Patton :thumbsup:

 

[Mike Brooks]

Tom,
Turvey worked pretty early on, you didn't see 1/2 stocks on english guns untill 1760 give or take five years or so, and he was long dead by that time. But, it was quite common for these earlier full stock guns to be brought up to speed stylistically by 1/2 stocking and checkering the wrist at a latter date. That was all the latest rage, and you were considered to be a stodgy old duffer if you carried a full stocked gun into the field with your wealthy more "with it" gentlemen friends who had all the latest cool guns from the leading makers of the day.
I don't think an alteration from full stock to 1/2 stock on english guns, as long as it was professionally done in the 18th century , should effect the price a huge amount. We'd all like to have them in their original as built configuration, but in this case the 1/2 stocking is an interesting bit of the guns 18th century working life.
Heck, Probably Wm. Bailes or one of the Griffins did the modification work......

 

[Okwaho]

Mike:Thanks for that info I have always wondered about the emergence of half stocks on English fowling pieces.George Shumway :thumbsup: says that Turvey worked from 1711 when he was elected a freeman in the Gunmakers Company. He became a master in the Company in 1733 and terminated his working career about 1745 I have always liked his rifle{ RCA Vol.I No.14}and I believe that it or one like it was found in Virginia.I agree with George that with due allowance for the absence of a cheek piece,it would be impossible to improve on it today and that is true of a lot of these old guns.
Thanks again
Tom :thumbsup: