SOLD Original Flintlock British Officers Fusil (FS)

[LLCranford3]

For Sale: One original British officers fusil. This piece is appears to have been made between 1784 and 1805. It has a London marked .755 caliber smooth bore barrel that is 37 inches long. This fusil is fitted with a nice lock with an roller frizzen. The barrel is attached to the breech with a hooked breach and is held to the stock by three brass keys. This original officers fusil has an excellent bore (for it's age), The stock is solid. There is one spot on the front left of the forearm that has been filled in with something.......but it is porous and has taken stain to closely match the surrounding stock. This fusil has had the following non-original parts replaced with modern parts: 3 brass barrel keys has been fitted, the tang screw and the side nail screws are modern made. Lastly the front sling swivel and sling are modern replacements. To date I have over 100 rounds of .735 diameter being pushed by 80 grains of swiss 1fg out of this old girl. The lock sparks like a sparkler, ignition is incredibly fast. This little gem is priced at $1850 shipped. I accept checks, money order or a discreet paypal. Thank you for stopping by and looking.

 

[TreeMan]

Beautiful and interesting. I’d love to have but that’s above my spending limit on things I don’t need right now lol.

 

[Flinter 2]

This gun appears to be a personal arm that was contracted by an individual, It's not a Tower approved issue Crown Arm, is it accompanied by any other provenance suggesting it's age or who it was made for or made by ?
If there is I would be interested.

 

[matchlock1607]

I think that would be correct, though, from what I remember. The officer's fusils were an individually acquired item. I don't remember seeing any that were marked "Tower". The ones I have seen resembled the Land pattern muskets, but were scaled down often in terms of caliber, hardware, weight, etc. and were made by private gunmakers.

Chris

This gun appears to be a personal arm that was contracted by an individual, It's not a Tower approved issue Crown Arm, is it accompanied by any other provenance suggesting it's age or who it was made for or made by ?
If there is I would be interested.

 

[Flinter 2]

I believe you're correct, from what I've read officers needed some sort of permission to have their own personal arms in the field from their superior officer.
Once received they could use it in service of their duties, but it had to meet certain established norms, it had to have the same general lines as the official Crown muskets, be over a specific bore size, and be finished in the manner of the official arms of the Crown, have a barrel length of not less than 39", and have a bayonet attachment on the muzzle end of the barrel.

That left quite a bit of latitude to the individual officer when having a personal arm made, but, it's makes it difficult for a buyer that's more interested in the military collector value than having it as a simple antique or a part of his/her reenactment gear, It would be more attractive to a collector if there was some proof that it actually was a true British officers personal arm.

 

[Bill Poole]

only dropped in the bayou once..... in 1814

 

[LLCranford3]

I am sorry for being away for the keyboard for a couple of days. Yes the only marking's on this fusil is the number 4 on the thumb piece, London on the top of the barrel, and on the underside of the barrel are stamped the letters: "WR" I believe that this is either a private purchase piece or a "trades pattern" fusil (meaning that it could be produced for the civilian market. I recently owned a T. Potts produced 3rd pattern Brown Bess made for the civilian market. I will reference page 130 of DeWitt Bailey's excellent book Small Arms of the British Forces in America 1664-1815. The fusil that I am selling is very close in design to that referenced.

 

[LLCranford3]

bump

 

[OldSmoky1967]

Gorgeous! I love shooting the old ones. Not a lot of difference from my late model Bess (1810). Yours is a bit more ornate, as it would be, since it is an officer's fusil - same proof marks. Very nice!

 

[LLCranford3]

Gorgeous! I love shooting the old ones. Not a lot of difference from my late model Bess (1810). Yours is a bit more ornate, as it would be, since it is an officer's fusil - same proof marks. Very nice!

Thanks! She's very fun to shoot.

Trey

 

[ArtyGunner]

Would you sell it to someone north of the border? Like the U.S. in Canada this is an antique which doesn't require permits or licenses to own, sell or ship internationally.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[LLCranford3]

Would you sell it to someone north of the border? Like the U.S. in Canada this is an antique which doesn't require permits or licenses to own, sell or ship internationally.

Thanks,
Kevin

Hi Kevin, I'll sell it to anyone who wants it and has the money. I have however never shipped a firearm internationally and wouldn't know how to go about that? I might need some coaching. (I may not be able to cover shipping costs for international shipping, will have to get a quote).

Trey

 

[OldSmoky1967]

For Sale: One original British officers fusil. This piece is appears to have been made between 1784 and 1805. It has a London marked .755 caliber smooth bore barrel that is 37 inches long. This fusil is fitted with a nice lock with an roller frizzen. The barrel is attached to the breech with a hooked breach and is held to the stock by three brass keys. This original officers fusil has an excellent bore (for it's age), The stock is solid. There is one spot on the front left of the forearm that has been filled in with something.......but it is porous and has taken stain to closely match the surrounding stock. This fusil has had the following non-original parts replaced with modern parts: 3 brass barrel keys has been fitted, the tang screw and the side nail screws are modern made. Lastly the front sling swivel and sling are modern replacements. To date I have over 100 rounds of .735 diameter being pushed by 80 grains of swiss 1fg out of this old girl. The lock sparks like a sparkler, ignition is incredibly fast. This little gem is priced at $1850 shipped. I accept checks, money order or a discreet paypal. Thank you for stopping by and looking.

This is an excellent example of an officer's fusil from the late 1700's to early 1800's. The swan neck cock puts it pre 1810. There are 2 Birmingham proof marks on the barrel, too. This fusil probably had barrel pins originally; because, everything else - except the lock looks a lot like my late model Bess, right down to the reduced stock profile of the last years of production. Very nice, exactly as it should be for that time period!

 

[Relic shooter]

I'm amazed that this fine piece wasn't immediately snapped up at this bargain price. Unlike most replica firearms this fine historical piece will continue to appreciate in value.
I've been shooting mostly originals for over 50 years, most being European manufacture because of their high quality manufacturing standards. Most also agree that here is an unexplained feeling when firing historical firearms. It took great restraint for me not to buy this 'bargain' when it was first posted. At 79 due to health issues I'm no longer able to hunt with or shoot my long arms so will eventually be passed along to new caretakers, I'm blessed that I'm still able to enjoy shooting my hand guns.

 

[Terry Lightle]

Somebody please buy this

 

[LLCranford3]

sold