Can anybody identify this?

[kentop]

Hi, I actually posted earlier on this forum about a revolutionary war era musket that was doctored by a gun seller to be a rifle. You helped me tremendously and I got the muzzleloading fever. I went to a gun show last weekend and found a very interesting and well made flintlock pistol.

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That barrel wedge is in the shape of an acorn. It was made in the 70's by a local Tucsonan. The barrel is marked "Dixie Gun Works .50cal". I tried identifying the lock but no luck. It is very small, the length of the lockplate is only 4 3/4". The inletting is excellent. No gaps anywhere. I don't know if it was a Dixie gun works kit or not but the craftsmanship is superb and the builder even poured resin inside the inletting to fit the barrel perfectly.

You can see the rust inside the lockplate, which cleaned up very easily. The barrel of this pistol is rifled and is 8 1/8" long, which leads me to believe that it was left over from another rifle project. Most pistol barrels I have seen online, including those from Dixie Gun Works are either 11 or 12" long.
Can anybody here identify this as a kit from the 70's? Or, is it a truly custom hand built pistol?

 

[Mike Brooks]

With it's odd architecture I'd say somebody built it from scratch.

 

[trent/OH]

Pistol barrels are usually rifled with a fairly fast twist, in order to maximize RPM's at the pistol's lower-than-rifle velocity. If the rate of twist is faster than 1:48, it's almost certainly designed for pistol use.
I'll concur that the pistol is not a factory piece; that someone custom built it.

 

[Many Klatch]

Looks like whoever built in the 70's was trying to get the same handgrip feel as a Colt Peacemaker or something similar. Interesting piece, certainly custom made, I have never seen one that looked anything like it.

Many Klatch