• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Need help identifying musket

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Maritimer

Pilgrim
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
(note: I also posted this over at The Firearms Forum but thought this may be a more appropriate place to request help)

Hi there folks. Hope I'm posting this in the correct place. I want to apologize in advance for my total lack of knowledge about firearms of all sorts, and for my bad photography.

My family has an old musket that has been passed on in the family since before anybody (living) can remember. Oh, my family is all from Newfoundland, Canada if that may help. So - British colony...eventually joined Canada in 1949.

My father sort of polished/varnished this thing up back in the 1970s and put it on display on the wall. That was long before shows like Antiques Road Show came along and told everybody not to try to restore your old stuff yourself. Oh, plus the ramrod was missing so he just substituted a piece of wood/dowel with a .22 shell at the end of it.

The stock of the gun was engraved by my ancestor...I didn't manage to get a clear picture of it but it reads:

JOHN KNEE
SAFE ARBER (That is Safe Harbour)
JANUARY 12
1870

Safe Harbour was a tiny little community on the north coast of Newfoundland that was abandoned years ago.

Even though the date engraved on it by John Knee is 1870 I don't know if that relates to when the gun was made.

Anyway, there is a word on the metal above the trigger and I believe it is "Tower" but it is difficult to tell for certain.

So here are some pictures. Anything you can tell me about it would be much appreciated. If you need different/additional/better pictures to help I'll try my best to provide them.

We are not interested in selling, restoring or trying to fire the musket, just curious about it.

Thank you.

Musket%20003.jpg

Musket%20004.jpg

Musket%20010.jpg
 
This appears to be a British Pattern 1839 flint musket, introduced in 1840. Most of this model were destroyed in a fire in the Tower, where they were being converted to percussion in 1841. However, some of this model have turned up in Newfoundland, which may indicate its use there.(Information taken from "The Military Arms of Canada").
This one has been converted to percussion, probably by a local gunsmith. Many old surplus muskets were used in Newfoundland for waterfowl and seal hunting.
 
Thanks for the information Powderburner. I think I'll borrow a copy of that book and look it up. I'm in NB too actually and apparently they have some copies of that book at the public library. Yes, I agree that it was most likely used for hunting/sealing. The musket comes from my maternal side of the family and, as far as I know, they were all fishermen/sealers.
 
My Whitworth has the samehole in the trigger guard.Is that a newer guard or an origional?
 
elmer said:
My Whitworth has the samehole in the trigger guard.Is that a newer guard or an origional?


The hole in the front bow of the triggerguard is common on military muskets, it is for the rear sling swivel.

A very nice musket Martimer, with a good styory behind it I'm sure. Enjoy the search. :)
 
Back
Top