Who owns a MVTC pistol?

[torn moc]

Do you own a pistol that you bought from Midlesex Village trading Company? Is your breechplug WELDED to the barrel..or perhaps the tang is WELDED to the Breechplug? or thirdly///No weld at all?
Do you consider it safe to shoot live loads ???

 

[Mike Brooks]

Do you consider it safe to shoot live loads ???

I have had them in my shop, they scare the hell out of me.

 

[rabjr]

No fucking way, I hope to have a custom pistol built for me sometime down the road. It won't have anything to do with this company.

 

[torn moc]

Well...it looks as though not may members have these Middlesex pistols..or none that are willing to make comments... :hmm:

 

[Darkgael]

Scalper: I own a Middlesex Double barrel caplock pistol. 20 gauge. A Howdah pistol if you like.
I wasn't going to comment about your original question because I am away from home and cannot look at the gun to see how the breech is sealed.
I have used the gun. The trigger, as it came from MVTC was easily 25 pounds. It was also easy enough to polish and file a bit and get that down to less than ten. I'm OK with that. The rest of the gun appears well put together if not superbly well finished. As to its safety, I haven't felt threatened shooting it. I have not looked at the breech; it's a hooked breech if I have my terms correct - like a Lyman GPR , as I recall. Haven't noticed anything unusual about it when I've had it off for cleaning.
Do I consider it safe to shoot? Yes.
I also have one of the Middlesex Blunderbuss replicas, a 14 ga. flintlock. Great fun to shoot, it's a handy little piece that patterns well given it's small size. The trigger on that was acceptable and it has always gone "bang".
Pete

 

[torn moc]

Thanks for your reply! I just notice that there have been Many diametrically opposing opionion on these guns posted here in the past...but when I ask who actually Owns one and thier individual opinion not Many reply.... :hmm:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Just something about the prices that seem just a bit too good to be true. Can't say I ever saw one.

 

[torn moc]

You never saw one? Well here are 2 examples of MVTC's Heavy Dragoon pistol:

The lock plates are not stamped with The King's
Crown or makers mark....

 

[kmolett]

I own the British dragoon and the royal highlands regiment all steel pistol and the Prussian dragoon pistol. I shoot them all the time. Yes the trigger pull is heavy. I consider them safe. They are not expensive guns. I have more expensive pistols that I shoot as well. You can definately tell the difference. I haven't ever had any problems with the pistols. I don't load them that heavy however. 40 or 50 grains is about the most I put through them.

 

[torn moc]

How tolerable is the recoil in a Dragoon with a 50 grain charge?
AND secondly are any of your India pistols welded in the breech plug area???

 

[kmolett]

Let me take a look and see if there is a weld. These pistols are so heavy that 50 grains is like shooting a .22 pistol. The British dragoon is .65 caliber with a 14 inch barrel.

 

[torn moc]

Like a .22 ?? wow...I would assume that 50 frains would be a fairly stout load for a pistol....
can you post some photos of the pistol?
I sure would like to see it!!!

 

[kmolett]

These pistols are pretty big. On the top is the Colt Walker made by Armi San Marco (which is malfunctioning and making me crazy!) Below it is the Prussian Dragoon and below that the British Heavy Dragoon and below that the Royal Highland Regiment all steel pistol.

Here is a pick with an 18 inch ruler included.

 

[torn moc]

They Look Sweet to me !!!!

 

[kmolett]

They are fun to shoot. I would like to get another British heavy dragoon. I would like to have a matching pair I would like to make a bear skin covered pistol bucket holster for them.

 

[LRB]

I started out with 60gr fffg, then back off to 50gr. Even the 60gr load wasn't all that bad. I just decided 50gr was plenty enough.

 

[colmoultrie]

I too have the all-steel Scottish pistol from MVTC. I've posted pics in one or two threads - check out the topic "Scottish pistol, by way of India"I too have the all-steel Scottish pistol from MVTC. I've posted pics in one or two threads - check out the topic - Post: Scots Pistol, by way of India(Topic#215652).

I've since shot it with a .490 ball, thick patching, and 40gr. of FFFg. Accuracy was terrible, but it was fun to shoot, and one can't expect much from a smoothbore without sights.

I don't know whether the breechplug is welded or not, as I can't get the barrel off the frame - see the previous topic mentioned - but I have shot it safely. Of course, I regularly used to shoot my Ultra-hi "Tower" pistol, and that has a welded breechplug. That was something that I didn't know as a kid, but I'm still here.

 

[Rod Lassey]

I've got an MVT Ketland pistol---steel breechplug screwed into a brass barrel. I will say that the breechplugs are not terribly long, and don't have the length of thread engagment that US made barrels do. On the other hand, as has been pointed out in other threads, neither do original barrels, they've often got pretty short breechplugs, as well.

For sure not welded, or even brazed in the case of my Ketland.

Rod

 

[SR James]

Rod, did your Ketland require a lot of re-working?

 

[LRB]

They all do! If you want them to work smooth.