Unusual Percussion Conversion

[matthew.heilgmail.com]

Haha, thanks. There are all kinds of neat conversions on the forum today - take a look at the Swedish snaphaunce-to-percussion gun in the photos section.

I would also say the gun in this thread is Middle Eastern, possibly Turkish, based on the Star and Crescent engraved on the lockplate. Thanks for sharing it!

 

[Tumblernotch]

Very interestingness about the flat caps. I have n ever heard of them. Is there a place I could look that type of primer up? I know about the so called scent bottle so I guess the next step would be something like that.

Zimmerstutzen is probably talking about the Consol-Augustin tube lock which was a conversion and later a new lock which greatly resembled a flint lock. It was used on Austrian rifles and muskets before the M1854 Lorenz. The frizzen was replaced by a pan cover with movable firing pin device which was struck by a flat faced hammer. The pin had a projection which hit a small copper tube filled with fulminate that was inserted into the touch hole. The bottom of the pan was filled in and a small groove was milled for the projecting part of the primer tube to rest in. Some of the cartridges issued for these weapons actually had the primer attached to them with a tiny wire. Quite a few Consol-Augustin muskets were issued to Union troops. Due to ammunition supply problems and problems with the guns themselves, they were quickly pulled from service and either altered to regular percussion or simply replaced.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Found it! The Clayton touch hole conversion
Actually the cap was developed by Hawker

 

[Tumblernotch]

That's similar to the Austrian lock. The Consol lock actually used the parts of the flint lock (pan and frizzen spring). After inserting the tube primer the shooter closed the cover over the pan. This is the first time I've seen the one you found.

 

[Len Graves]

Just when I think I have seen it all! That is the first time I had heard of that type priming. Once you see it though, it makes sense. It,seems there were many many kinds of different guns before cartridges were used and then many ways to prime those. Very interesting thanks for the info.. Something more for me to forget. Now where are my glasses --- oh yeah I don't wear them.

 

[rickystl]

WOW! That is a real first for me too. Never seen that conversion. Glad I started this Thread. :haha: Learned a couple of new things. Thanks guys. Rick. :hatsoff:

 

[Zonie]

IMO, whoever did the conversion shown in the OP didn't know much about percussion guns.

Kinda the "If the hammer clobbers the cap, good enough" principle.

The nipple should be leaned back at about a 40-45 degree angle for the hammer to really hit the cap squarely.

There isn't enough material in the frizzen lid to allow this so whoever did the conversion should have made a new lid with enough material thickness to allow the correct positioning of the nipple.

"Gosh! You mean I can't just drill a hole and put some threads in it?" :shake:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

There was also a different form of ignition that was developed about the same decade as percussion caps, The needle fire. A serrated needle was spring propelled into a small deposit of match head material, that would then light the powder and propel the bullet down the bore. In the case of the Dreyse, actually invented in England by a fellow named Moser, the bullet used a double socket sabot. The front held the bullet and the rear socket was filled with powder and the small bit of match material was mounted to the powder cover in the socket. While the Dreyse was a breech loader, there were some early forms of muzzle loader that used this system.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Also forgot to mention, when I was a young tyke, my dad knew an old timer that had a muzzleloader that used a rim fire blank to light the main charge.