Thread: Old pistol, ornament or ?

Originally Posted by Druid

As others have said it is a pocket pistol . It is an octagonal brass barrel/action boxlock muzzle loading black powder flintlock pocket pistol with a bayonet fitted . It was probably made in Liege in Belgium when belgium was part of France , but the ELG proof mark should be in an oval ( the ELG in an oval came in 1810 and was strictly enforced ) so it was probably made before then, when gunmakers proved their own barrels , I doubt it is a modern copy They would have makers name proof marks etc . The pistol was fitted with a safety catch which locked into the frizzen ,( the metal part on top of the barrel that hinges forward ) .
these pistols were made for very close range self defence , hence the lack of sights, the big bore and no rifling. It was made of brass because it resisted corrosion/rust of both sweat in the owners pocket and the black powder load .It would be carried loaded and was seldom fired or cleaned . Most came in pairs .
Most of this sort of pistol has screw barrels , that is they screwed off and the powder charge was loaded into the breach and an oversize ball was placed on top then the barrel screwed back on . This gave a very tight fit to the ball and increased velocity considerably . this one doesn't appear to be a screw barrel.
It is an antique under the arms act and does not need a licence to own , unless it is loaded and fired , something I would not recommend .
Do not dry fire it without something like a piece of wood in the jaws of the hammer and the frizzen down as this can damage the mechanism . You can find pictures of this sort of pistol on the net .If you ever rebuild it pm me and I'll send you a flint for it .

Wow awesome info. You know your stuff.

Thank you!

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