Please help ID this Flint Pistol

[Shooey]

Hello all, I'm posting pictures of a pistol my friend has. He doesn't know much about it, and the only marking or stamp on it is the small "8" just in front of the trigger guard. We would love to know what kind of pistol this is, who made it, when, etc. Any information that you might provide is appreciated. Thank you!

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/79940831@N03/13511269573/ https://www.flickr.com/people/79940831@N03/, on Flickr/image]

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FP 3 by Shooey2012, on Flickr/image]

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FP 1 by Shooey2012, on Flickr[/img]

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FP 3 by Shooey2012, on Flickr[/img]

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FP 4 by Shooey2012, on Flickr[/img]

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FP 5 by Shooey2012, on Flickr[/img]

 

[curator]

This is an Italian Miqulet pistol from the late-late 1700s or early 1800s. There should be some marks on the barrel near the breech or possibly on the lock plate that indicate who made it.Close-up pictures of those marks are needed to define it further.

 

[robinghewitt]

This is an Italian Miqulet pistol from the late-late 1700s or early 1800s.

Normally I would guess Spanish for a miquelet, how did you peg it for Italian? It looks like a nice piece of wood, wouldn't an Italian piece be iron mounted rather than brass if it had a nice piece of wood like that?

Not saying you are wrong, I only do English :redface:

 

[rickystl]

Agreed! :thumbsup: With "Roman" style miquelet lock. Very nice pistol. Thanks for Posting. Rick :hatsoff:

 

[dave_person]

Hi Squire,
The lock is a classic Roman snaplock, which usually differs from the Spanish-Portuguese snaplocks in having a hook on the mainspring that presses down on the front of the cock rather than a flat leaf "V spring that passes under the cock and presses up on the backside. The Spanish locks were stronger and more reliable.

The next question that usually comes down the pike in these antique firearm inquiries is "so how much is it worth?" To that I have no idea.

dave

 

[curator]

Similar pistol if somewhat less ornate: http://www.aaawt.com/html/firearms/f643.html

 

[Shooey]

So now I'm confused, is it Italian in origin or Spanish-Portugese?

Also, what does the word miquelet refer to? The style of lock, the general design of the gun, or a maker?

Who would have owned such a pistol? Upper-class I would imagine because it is so ornate.

 

Also, what does the word miquelet refer to? The style of lock, the general design of the gun, or a maker?

:grin: http://bit.ly/1hFFoXp

 

[Fernando Keilty]

Hello:

All mediterraneas lock, as this "" Lock the Roman "has the characteristic that the trigger system is horizontal, by two Block (Block) that cross the plate and act in the cock or your boss (as in the Spanish classic miquelete)

Affectionately. Fernando K

(Sorry for the translator)

 

[rickystl]

Here is a pic of a typical Spanish miquelet lock. As Dave mentions above, the Italian lock actuates on the front (toe) of the hammer, whereas the Spanish lock operates on the rear (heel) of the hammer.
Again, your friend has a very nice Italian pistol. Probably a personal purchase by an Officer.

 

[curator]

The Lock on the OP's is Italian, sometimes referred to as "roman" by the Spanish gunmakers. The mainspring bearing on the "toe" or front part of the cock is the typical characteristic.

The term "miquelet" is essentially English in origin referring to the simple arms used by Spanish peasant soldiers derisively called "Miguel" collectively. It has come to mean "Mediterranean" style locks with the mainspring on the outside and usually the horizontal sear known as "a la moda." The Spanish and Portuguese used the term "patilla" or Llave de chispa" for this early flint lock. Miquelet locks can also be found in percussion mode and even early breech loading cartridge shotguns.

 

[Shooey]

I have no idea what condition the bore is in, and I do not know if the lock functions. Lets assume it is rusty and un-shootable. That being said, any ideas of the value of the gun?

A. Less than $500
B. $500-$1,000
C. $1,000-$2,000
D. above $2,000


Thank you!
-Shooey

 

I have no idea what condition the bore is in, and I do not know if the lock functions.

Why not have the gun owner post here so people can get their questions answered? You obviously don't know anything about the condition of the gun.

 

[rickystl]

Believe it or not, some collectors regard the condition of the bore as secondary. They're collectors vs shooters. However, a good bore does help with a collector's piece.
From the photos, overall, the pistol looks to be in pretty good shape. Assuming the lock is in working order, I would place it in the low to middle of category C above.
I've always thought that the Italian guns from this time period are under rated from a pricing standpoint. The Spanish guns tend to bring more money. But that may be because there is simply more collectors out there for the latter.
But it looks like a well built Officer's pistol in very decent condition. Rick. :hatsoff: