Mendi wheellock pistol find

[JustinAZ]

Hello all. Found a Mendi 45 cal wheellock pistol at a pawn shop online. Don’t know if $500 was a good price but I’ve literally never seen a reproduction wheellock in the wild. From what I’ve been able to find Mendi was a now defunct Spanish company that made kit guns? Is that right?

The stock looks cheap and the pistol needs to be cleaned up but it’s functional. Need to find some iron pyrite to really test it.

Light surface rust on a few spots on the barrel and lock plate but the internals just look dirty. Is there a correct way of cleaning it without damaging the metal further?

 

[hawkeye2]

I have one I bought new circa '78 and the lock functions great.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I also have what appears to be that very lock, which I bought from Dixie Gun Works in the '89's. It works great.

 

[hawkeye2]

Navy Arms offered the pistol and also a carbine with the same lock for a very brief time (late 70s, early 80s?) and both NA offerings would be very rare.

 

[JustinAZ]

I'm quite happy to have it. You don't exactly see wheellocks every day.

 

[rickystl]

Congratulations. Great find. It usually goes many years before one of these turn up. NO! You did NOT over pay. LOL

Hawkeye: I remember that brief period in one of the NA catalogs. Makes me wish I had kept all of their catalogs.

Rick

 

[Rudyard]

I made one of these locks up to a pistol made for the Historical advisor to the Sharpe's series . He sold or gave it to The Curator of the Wallace Collection who was giving a talk at Kirby Hall the venue for a large' Time line' event in UK. He was giving a talk on armour then held up the pistol saying " & this is what spoiled the whole armour idea ." Or words to that effect. I looked at the pistol mentioned it to the female assistant .Then after his talk he said" & if you want to know more about the pistol there's the man who made it " Some firm call Jacobi was the sourse of the lock.' Felt Wad 'made a rifle with one the clever use of a ball bearing was a great feature they employed on the Scear nose .
Rudyard

 

[Feltwad]

Enclosed is images of a Mendi wheellock pistol kit that I build decades ago .There is also a image of a lock for the wheellock rifle that Rudyard mention
Feltwad

 

[skratch]

Enclosed is images of a Mendi wheellock pistol kit that I build decades ago .There is also a image of a lock for the wheellock rifle that Rudyard mention
FeltwadView attachment 103256

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Excellent work !!