Percussion pistol

[MLake]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some help again. A local gun shop just got this in. I'm very interested in it, but the owner doesn't know anything about it, or how to price it. I asked him to call me first with this kind of thing, and he's been great about it. I'm going to take alook at it tomorrow. Please let me know if there's anything else I could look for.

Thanks!

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmqu8eHP

 

[hawkeye2]

I believe it's been assembled from a pile of parts. The lock is old and was converted from flint a long time ago. The barrel band looks like a '61 Springfield front band that someone has added a sight to and pined to the stock which looks to be realitivly new and lacking a lot of features of a vintage piece. I really couldn't see the rifling well, is it 3 shalow equal width lands & groves? If so and it's .58 it could be a piece of Springfield barrel. If it proves to be safe it could be a fun gun to shoot if it could be bought cheaply. I would probably say uh-huh it's nice and walk off but that's just me.

 

[curator]

Hawkeye2 is right on this being an assembly of old parts. The ornate trigger guard is off an old Flobert breech loader. It is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. It has zero collector value and may not be safe to shoot.

 

[hawkeye2]

Curator thanks, I wracked my poor brain for a long time trying to figure out why that trigger guard looked familiar before I began my reply.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Back in the 1960's, original guns were starting to get too valuable to shoot. So all the clunkers and neglected pieces of little to no collector value were snapped up for parts. Many basement work shops produced weird concoctions known today as frankenguns. In the early 1970's I purchased some of those old original guns to keep them from being stripped for parts, thinking that some day they could be worth more for restoring. I was right. A museum near Philadelphia has a smooth rifle that I bought for $40. the stock was busted off at the forearm with jagged spinters, the barrel was octogon to round about 45 caliber. The lock was there are signed, but the half cock did not work. It was built around 1815. Some guy talked me into donating the piece, and they cajoled others to do restoration work. A fellow actually salvaged the stock and was able to find nearly matching wood to piece the rest of the stock together. They put a new tumbler in the lock and till they were all done, the gun looks like it just came from the early gun shop where it was made. It is a shame so many old gun were cannibalized like that but sometimes a single part or two from a frankengun can be used by another doing a restoration. For instance a guy needing a signed lock to complete a rifle from that maker, etc.

 

[Donny]

I have a Belgian ML that was made (probably) back in the 60's from various Mil. parts. from a period when ML were becoming fashionable.