I purchased a flintlock pistol yesterday and am not sure if it is a replica or the real deal. The only markings I can see is on the flintlock mechanism itself. "Tower" and a crown. I removed the barrel and there is a stamp of "191" on the underside. The ramrod is just a long brass pole with no end and it sticks past the barrel. I have found similar looking pistols that are British Tower .69 smooth bore. Any ideas? Also it fires in half cocked position as well as full cocked. Not sure what is causing that.
Tower .69 smooth bore?
- Thread starter davidiah
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
Most likely it is one of the Japanese made "replicas" that were imported by the thousands (millions) in the 60s to 80s and sold for $40 for years. It would take a photo to say for sure though. Sounds like the half-cock notch in the tumbler is broken out. This kind of confirms my suspicion that it is an import as these weren't very high quality and lock problems are common. I have no idea where you could find parts for one of these as even Dixie Gun Works has none.
Many Klatch
69 Cal.
- Joined
- May 19, 2006
- Messages
- 3,498
- Reaction score
- 269
You have a Japanese made Tower pistol. I had two at one time. The locks were not hardened and the frizzens wouldn't spark. One of the mainsprings was sprung from being left on full cock for years.
I scavenged parts from some old Siler locks that I had laying around to make them work. Drilled new holes where I needed to get the new main spring to work and used a Dremel to make the frizzen work.
The working parts of the lock on mine were OK, so I left them alone.
You can use this pistol as an opportunity to tinker. You can't hurt the value of the gun by working on it.
Many Klatch
I scavenged parts from some old Siler locks that I had laying around to make them work. Drilled new holes where I needed to get the new main spring to work and used a Dremel to make the frizzen work.
The working parts of the lock on mine were OK, so I left them alone.
You can use this pistol as an opportunity to tinker. You can't hurt the value of the gun by working on it.
Many Klatch
I fixed the "firing at half cocked issue" by shimming just above the trigger (inside). It keeps the trigger from raising up when the trigger is pulled and the half cock will not fire not but the full cock will.
Is this gun safe to fire? I have been hearing stories.
What gives it away as a japanese model? the lack of markings????
Is this gun safe to fire? I have been hearing stories.
What gives it away as a japanese model? the lack of markings????
Many Klatch
69 Cal.
- Joined
- May 19, 2006
- Messages
- 3,498
- Reaction score
- 269
Removed the old frizzen and installed a new Siler frizzen. I used the Dremel to "carve" the Siler to fit.
Many Klatch
Many Klatch
Many Klatch
69 Cal.
- Joined
- May 19, 2006
- Messages
- 3,498
- Reaction score
- 269
What gives it away is the general clunkiness of the shape of the wood and the iron work which never changed over the years that they were made. I have made a Tower look better by removing about a 1/3 of the wood and then painting the stock black.
Many klatch
Many klatch
Yeah, they certainly benefit from thinning the stock way down, hardening the frizzen, replaceing the springs and finding a real ramrod. they are fun to play with and you can make a fair shooting pistol with some elbow grease. Good luck.
frogwalking
45 Cal.
- Joined
- May 6, 2013
- Messages
- 691
- Reaction score
- 5
I have had two of these. I bought both from Dixie in the late '60s as kits. The second I bought on sale for $12.98. Turner Kirkland sent a free bag of kesnit to caseharden the frizzen so they would shoot. I think the stock was made of either mahagony or teak, can't remember which. We had a blast shooting them. You really can't do any thing to hurt the value. I guess you could blow one up, but I never heard of that happening.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Messages
- 6,595
- Reaction score
- 302
Fwiw, in the mid-60s, I lived for about 18 months in a state where I couldn't "carry a gun" even when transporting gold, gems & large quantities of cash for our family's wholesale jewelry/antiques business.
As ML were then NOT "considered to be deadly weapons, under the meaning of law" (according to an opinion of the state's Attorney general), my cousin built me up "a converted to percussion" pirate-pistol kit in (I think I remember) .69 caliber. I carried that handgun in the car-seat, loaded with #2 goose-shot/BP & never felt "under-armed" or "in danger of being robbed".
ImVho, citizens of those states which have "strict gun control laws" should gather at their state's capitol, tar and feather their "leaders" & ride them out of town on a rail.
(As criminals do not obey laws, ONLY the unarmed/law-abiding/defenseless citizens are "the victims of" gun control laws. Further, the lower a person's IQ, the more likely that they are to trust the government with their personal/family's safety.)
yours, satx
As ML were then NOT "considered to be deadly weapons, under the meaning of law" (according to an opinion of the state's Attorney general), my cousin built me up "a converted to percussion" pirate-pistol kit in (I think I remember) .69 caliber. I carried that handgun in the car-seat, loaded with #2 goose-shot/BP & never felt "under-armed" or "in danger of being robbed".
ImVho, citizens of those states which have "strict gun control laws" should gather at their state's capitol, tar and feather their "leaders" & ride them out of town on a rail.
(As criminals do not obey laws, ONLY the unarmed/law-abiding/defenseless citizens are "the victims of" gun control laws. Further, the lower a person's IQ, the more likely that they are to trust the government with their personal/family's safety.)
yours, satx
Similar threads
SOLD - Pending funds
1702-1714 British Horse Pistol
