identification please

[canuck4570]

The barrel diameter is 0.665 and only the beginning is octagonal there a no rifling it is 6 and 1/2 inches long and as the letters E L G and beneath them seem to have a star not certain about the stare
it is a percussion pistol look like #11 caps and the barrel and action are engrave
in the but there is a trap door for what it seems to put a spare ball but odd the diameter is only 0.575 (may be the barrel tappers down a bit) can't say dont have tools to mesure....
take you for you time ....Canuck

 

[torn moc]

ELG denotes a Belgium import...

 

[canuck4570]

the pistol is authentic the owner says before the Boers war
do you mean this pistol was imported from Belgium at this time...

 

[torn moc]

actually the barrel could have been installed at any time...and it may or may not be original to the gun...All I am saying is that the stamping
ELG is a Belgium stamp.
I am definitely Not an expert on this type of pistol,,,,others who are will chime in.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

That's a fairly typical Belgian pistol circa 1850ish + or -. It predates the Boer War by quite some time. It could have been imported at most any time.

 

[canuck4570]

being around 0.665 that would make it a 69 bore or?
and why make it octagonal at the beginning of the barrel

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

.665 would make it about a 16 bore or 16 gauge. The barrel appears to be octagon for its entire length in the photographs. If you are referring to the muzzle itself, it appears to have some fancy file work done there. It could have been done after the piece was made, but in any case it serves no purpose except as decoration.

 

[canuck4570]

took a careful look at the barrel with a small flashlight and you are wright it is octagonal all the way......

 

[Zonie]

I agree with the previous posts.

The gun barrel was Proofed in Belgium and very likely made there in the mid 1800's.
The grip shape is similar to English pistols from the 1820's on but the back action lock was popular in the late 1830's thru the 1850's.

The storage in the butt is most likely intended to store caps wrapped in a piece of cloth to keep them from rattling around or being damaged.

 

[canuck4570]

thanks great help form all of you guys.....