What is this flintlock pistol?

[sakraft1]

I have this flintlock pistol that I have been trying to identify for a while now, what do you think it is?

The gentleman that gave it to us is now deceased.

Here is a little page I set up hoping someone might comment. There is more description of it here: Click here to read and see about my pistol

Is this real? A prop? A decorator piece. Its about as long as my forearm from elbow to finger tip. As I say on my page it has no markings and the metal work on the lock is very rough, perhaps it was better but was then roughed up?

 

[sakraft1]

 

[Norinco]

North African made piece for tourists. It's even cruder than the ones made in Afghanistan.

 

[Zonie]

I agree that it represents the kind of gun sold in several of the North African countries.

They are pretty good at working with wood and sheet metal but often have only a rough idea of how to do heavy metal work.

The guns were never intended to be fired and are for looks only. They make a pretty nice souvenir to bring back from a vacation in that part of the world.

 

[sakraft1]

thanks, I had no idea such tourist guns might exist, though it makes sense. I googled "tourist flintlock" and came across a few. Mine certainly is pretty rough where the lock is concerned.

 

[TFoley]

Mine certainly is pretty rough where the lock is concerned.

And that just has to be the understatement of the year so far.

PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT try and fire it, OK?

Promise?

tac

 

[sakraft1]

I certainly have no intention of firing it, even if it were a real firearm!

 

[TFoley]

I certainly have no intention of firing it, even if it were a real firearm!

Fine. However, looking at it rather more closely, I figure that it could never be made to function as a working firearm, so youd be safe...

tac

 

[Tony Logan]

I am glad you posted this. There is a similar pistol, in a antique booth for $150 in my town. The first time I saw it all I saw was it was a flint pistol with a ton of diamond shaped bone or ivory inlays. I went home worrying I had missed out on something I needed to have. I went back and asked to get it out of the case, then I was left wondering, who would put all this inlay work in something that looked like a movie prop? It certainly looks like it shouldnt be loaded and fired. I see it is most likely a tourist pistol from somewhere in Africa. I glad I didnt buy it thinking it was real.

 

[TFoley]

I am glad you posted this. There is a similar pistol, in a antique booth for $150 in my town. The first time I saw it all I saw was it was a flint pistol with a ton of diamond shaped bone or ivory inlays. I went home worrying I had missed out on something I needed to have. I went back and asked to get it out of the case, then I was left wondering, who would put all this inlay work in something that looked like a movie prop? It certainly looks like it shouldnt be loaded and fired. I see it is most likely a tourist pistol from somewhere in Africa. I glad I didnt buy it thinking it was real.

Sir, I wouldn't buy the thing if there was a period after the figure 1.

tac

 

[Jumpshot]

I wonder how many people have brought one of those home and tried to shoot it, or if the lock would even function at all.

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

Years ago in "Mechanics Illustrated" or similar magazine; about African smoothbores made from the steering tubes out of abandoned vehicles. Rough wood stocks, and flintlocks. They were fired at arms length. The heal of the left hand was in the nock of the right elbow to absorb recoil, this also kept metal shards as far away as possible. The natives said without sights this was the most accurate way to shoot. They had pix of them shooting these things; none were any more refined than that pistol. scary stuff :nono: At least I used the hardened shafts from shock absorbers for my hand cannons.

 

[KABAR2]

For better or worse these were brought in as
decorators back in the 1970's some actually
used wornout locks but none of them would be
safe to fire. you used to see these in antique shops back then all the time they sometimes still creep into an auction somewhere.