Muzzleloading pistol (Great Britian?)

[Zorren]

Hey Guy's,
I need some help to identifying this muzzleloading pistol. I'm not quite sure whether it's an original or not.

Actually i don't think it's original, but anyway I wanne know what kind of pistol it is.

There is a crown and "G R" (for Georgius Rex?) on the right side.

And "JAPAN 374" on the barrel.

Thanks and lots of greetings from Germany - Berlin,
Sören :thumbsup:


Pics:
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ps.: Sry, for my bad english :bow:

 

[poordevil]

It is a Jap copy of an English Tower pistol. (as in Made at the Tower of London) Alot came into USA in the 1960 prior to the US bi-centinial. Some people report they are very good. Some not so.....depends on who made it.

P

 

[denster]

Looks like the Tower flint pistol made in Japan for Ultra-Hi and probably others. Quality at best was so-so and at worst was pretty awful.

 

[Zorren]

Hey great,
your the first who knows something about this pistol, thanks! :hatsoff: .

Do you have a link or something where i can read about it?

 

[poordevil]

No, sorry. that is all I know. My brother -in-law had one. I never saw him shoot it, but it looked to be OK quility. I believe they are fairly common

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I worked in a Sporting Goods store that sold those back in 1973. We sold them from two different suppliers. Ultra Hi and I think, Century Arms. A third supplier sold nearly identical items that were non-shooters with the touch hole not drilled out. I believe that some were made by Miroku, a fairly respectable manufacturer. Others were knock offs and of very dubious quality. Some of the ones sold as shooters had soft frizzens and would not spark. The stocks of some looked like pine, very soft with a cheap stain and no other finish. From the phot I can't tell which it may be, they pretty much all looked alike.

 

[KABAR2]

It's actually a bad copy of an English Light dragoon pistol from about 1805 on, the reason
I say bad copy is the octagon barrel I have
converted a few of the Japanese copies with
round barrel to better working guns by removing
the ramrod & pipe adding a single pipe and wood
rammer, and replacing cock and internals & hardening the frizzen, for a more correct look
for the 1770's.