Wondering if I should buy this...

[JRedmond3]

Okay, there's a man(around 80) at my flea market who is selling an old flintlock pistol. He used to have one that he claimed was used in the Civil War he was selling for 600$. He doesnt have that one anymore but now he has one that looks like it's even rarer and more expensive than the last one. The pistol has what looks like a brass barrel that flairs out at the end(some but not alot). The barrel also has a bunch of detailed etchings and engravings in it. I believe that the handle and some of the wooden parts also have carvings. The bottom of the handle is metal and has a knob with a ring at the end. The hammer and stuff also had some detailing I believe. The price he was asking on the gun was 225$ but I asked him if he'd sell it for 200$ and he said yes. I was going to put a down payment on it but I decided not to. Just wondering if you guys could point me to some similiar looking guns and if it would be worth taking a gamble and spending 200$ on it. Also, Im positive this gun is authentic and not some type of reproduction, you can tell this gun has some age although it is in relatively good condition.

Any info I can get on this would be much appreciated.

 

[Zonie]

It's very hard to give any guess about something that one can't see.
Did the seller know anything about the gun and it's history? Even if his story wasn't real truthful, it would give us a better idea about what we are talking about.

Do you have any idea what the caliber of the gun was?

Was the pistol a flintlock or a precussion? That would help date it.
Did the lock work properly? If it didn't, and if the gun was really old, that might make getting replacement parts almost impossible and would reduce the value a lot.

Assuming you know guns, this isn't aimed at you but, there are a lot of pistols and rifles out there which were made for wall decorations. Some of these look very real while others look like cheap die castings. If the gun is one of these, it might be worth $60-$80.
If it is real, and the lock works it may be worth anywhere from $80 to $800 depending on what it really is.
I guess the best answer I can give is it is worth whatever you say it's worth. In other words, if you would rather have it than the $200 then go for it.

zonie

 

[JRedmond3]

Pistol was a flintlock pistol. Im not sure if the lock worked but I believe it did Ill check next time. Im not a gun buff but the gun looked like it was authentic and had been shot before so I dont think it was a decorative gun but I could be wrong.

 

[Smokey in Oz]

Yeah JR, be careful,
my Dad nearly paid big dollars for this "matching pair of Original Vitoria 1790 blunderbuss in working order", if he had the cash in his pocket he'd have bought them for me off an "honest looking old fella".
Fortunately I went to check them first and found a pair of cheap replica wall hangers. If someone had taken the 'honest old fellas' word, loaded and fired these decorative items they'd have probably ended up in hospital or worse.
I got em for $100 to hang over my bar.... all they're good for (and I probably paid too much).

Smokey.

PS; Dad was told they were so old that the 'leather' slings had deteriorated but were still present...... the slings are actually made from cardboard! :shake:

 

[dkloos]

Are these those mass produced replicas made of zinc?It was my understanding that they couldn't be made to fire any ammunition or powder, and that the barrels were plugged.

 

[Smokey in Oz]

Not sure Hangfeyer,
they're made from some cast alloy crap, no plug in the barrel but the lock operates.
Smokey.