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Third pattern brown bess?
- Thread starter Benjamin_Martin
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The lock plate appears a little bit smaller than the mortise (looking at the gap at the tail), so it originally had a longer lock I think. Also, I am not sure of the actual Bess pattern but that long return on the butt plate looks like an early model Brown Bess. What is the barrel length?
oldsarge79
32 Cal
It's not a Pattern 1839.
It appears to be an India Pattern Bess converted to percussion but difficult to say for sure from your photos. Please post photos of: the full gun from the sides (not from one end or the other), the butt plate tang, the trigger guard, the side plate, the barrel breech and a close-up of the entire lock plate. Also any markings at all.
PathfinderNC is correct that the barrel length is important.
From the marking I see on the butt stock, I believe it will be an East India Company model.
It appears to be an India Pattern Bess converted to percussion but difficult to say for sure from your photos. Please post photos of: the full gun from the sides (not from one end or the other), the butt plate tang, the trigger guard, the side plate, the barrel breech and a close-up of the entire lock plate. Also any markings at all.
PathfinderNC is correct that the barrel length is important.
From the marking I see on the butt stock, I believe it will be an East India Company model.
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It’s a third model brown Bess for sure, the barrel length, three rammer pipes, stock shape and triggerguard are all third model. East India Stamps too.
The buttplate tang is longer, more similar to an early long land however the overall size of the plate is much smaller, long lands were around 7/8 bigger in all directions.
It could be a very early third model, and surplus parts were being used up, but the East India Company wasn’t making long lands so its a bit of a mystery, I’m going to go with a the theory that the butt plate is a private upgrade or some sort, or perhaps added later on to correct some damage to the comb.
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Benjamin_Martin
32 Cal
It’s 39 inches, which is consistent with a third model
It appears to be a converted P1793 or P1809. The EIC stamp is odd with the fully military marked lock plate, but the English did recycle when they could.
