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Identify Bess Lock

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RAEDWALD

40 Cal.
Joined
Jun 28, 2012
Messages
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Location
Plymouth and Haute Vienne
Just acquired this lock. Does anyone recognise who made it? Probably late 20th century. It seems in good order.
CIMG1882.jpg
CIMG1880.jpg
 
Hi,
Nick may be right. It could be a Pedersoli Bess lock and I get why the "Grice 1762" was filed off but not the crown and "GR". The finial on the frizzen spring was altered and the tumbler screw is too small. The side plate looks like it was originally flat and someone tried to file it half round.

dave
 
Hi,
Nick may be right. It could be a Pedersoli Bess lock and I get why the "Grice 1762" was filed off but not the crown and "GR". The finial on the frizzen spring was altered and the tumbler screw is too small. The side plate looks like it was originally flat and someone tried to file it half round.

dave

The mainspring to me seems larger and looks like one of the pedersoli locks that coach harness used on the Dixie Gun works long lands.

there was a big demand during the bicentennial for ‘committee of safety’ muskets could be why it was filed.

But who knows I’ve seen pedersoli locks with dog catches on them that serves no purpose.
 
The mainspring to me seems larger and looks like one of the pedersoli locks that coach harness used on the Dixie Gun works long lands.
It may be one of those from a limited "run" as the side plate is obviously cast as a rounded plate, but has some flaws. It certainly isn't a standard Pedersoli Bess lock, even vintage.

The Engraving vs. the aft screws in the lock is wrong, as the line should run up to the back screw, stop, and start again, while in the older lock it runs unbroken, beneath the screw. You should also be able to see the sear spring screw with the cock down. And did Pedersoli add the hole to the jaw screw after introducing their SLP Bess, or has it been there the whole time, since it's absent on the above lock?

BESS REAR LOCK DETAIL 2.jpg

LD
 
It may be one of those from a limited "run" as the side plate is obviously cast as a rounded plate, but has some flaws. It certainly isn't a standard Pedersoli Bess lock, even vintage.

The Engraving vs. the aft screws in the lock is wrong, as the line should run up to the back screw, stop, and start again, while in the older lock it runs unbroken, beneath the screw. You should also be able to see the sear spring screw with the cock down. And did Pedersoli add the hole to the jaw screw after introducing their SLP Bess, or has it been there the whole time, since it's absent on the above lock?

View attachment 17713

LD

The border engravings are a sort of tell for me that is a Pedersoli, The sear screw being moved closer to the tumbler is something you see on the older bicenential locks they used on the 1756 long land patterns, and those were not made with a pierced top jaw screw.

Most of those locks were marked Stowe, or Tower by Dixie Gun works and then Grice by other vendors like Coach Harness and Navy Arms.

Not sure about the convex side plate, the 1756 long land did have a convex plate and there were plenty of places to acquire the convex side plate. Reeves Ghoring casted them and of the Rifle Shoppe did too back in their earlier days.
 
If it helps it was purchased in France. It bears no markings and the brass is cast with noticeable surface shrinkage and retains a sand cast base surface. I have looked for evidence of markings scrubbed off the lock face but there is no evidence of them even under raking light. The cock screw is curiously small. Possibly a later replacement? The front side nail hole in the lockplate has a round enlargement protruding from the face which is something I have never seen on any other lock.
 
The lock bolt bolster is commonly seen on some repro locks. Miruko made their Bess lock with a bolster; its possible this is a bicentennial miruko lock

here’s one of minE
 

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