Lacaille Pistol

[CutlassCollector]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a bit more information on this percussion pistol. Firearms are generally outside my area of interest but this looked good quality and had no bidders so I decided to go for it.

All I could find on the web was Jacques Lacaille, working in Blois, central France, 1775-1829. There are no other marks except the inscription on the barrel. Anyone have a full translation for that? There appears to be a word missing at the start.

From the date, I assume it is a conversion from flintlock, would that be correct?

There are some interesting features like the animal carved hammer head and the mouth of the barrel is slightly flared, you can just make that out in the pictures. The ramrod has a number 5 stamped on it.

The barrel is rifled with grooves around the entire circumference which I found surprising for this era.

Any comments welcome.

Happy New Year everyone.

[Fernando K]

Hello
It does not seem like a spark conversion, but is originally from percussion. What it may be is that a previous spark gun was used, threading a bombette or mascot to thread the chimney. The missing word may be the year of construction, but it would deserve a better photograph to appreciate it. The rifling of the barrel is known as "microrifling."

Affectionately

[fernando]

Maybe it is a different Lacaille; even his son. By the way, you know these names on barrels are usually not those of gun makers but of suppliers, the so called fourbisseurs.
You should try hard to get a more clear picture of the inscription .

Happy new year to you too.

[CutlassCollector]

Originally Posted by Fernando K

Hello
It does not seem like a spark conversion, but is originally from percussion. What it may be is that a previous spark gun was used, threading a bombette or mascot to thread the chimney. The missing word may be the year of construction, but it would deserve a better photograph to appreciate it. The rifling of the barrel is known as "microrifling."

Maybe it is a different Lacaille; even his son. By the way, you know these names on barrels are usually not those of gun makers but of suppliers, the so called fourbisseurs.
You should try hard to get a more clear picture of the inscription .

Thanks Fernando K and Fernando. So I guess a later date makes more sense and possibly a later member of the family or even supplier.

I'm afraid even under bright light and magnifying glass the first word (or date) is reduced to a few unconnected marks.

The inscription reads : ...... Par Lacaille Ainé à Blois as far as I can tell.

Rifling goes back centuries but there is not much information on micro rifling. Does anyone have any knowledge about when it was popular in the 19th century?

[Fernando K]

Hello
Microrifling was used in luxury weapons, mainly in France, by BOUTET, and at the end of the 18th century and part of the 19th century, by the Versailles manufacture. There are also some Italian regulation pistols, with the "crushed bullet" method.

Affectionately

[corrado26]

The complete signature on the barrel reads "Fourni par Lacaille......" It follows that Lacaille was not the manufacturer, but probably just the dealer who sold the pistol. As a gunsmith, he would most likely have inscribed his name on the lock plate - as was common practice.
One more word about hair pulls: They are by no means an invention of Boutet or only appeared towards the end of the 18th century. As early as 1550, the Augsburg gunsmith Augustin Kutter was cutting hairlines into barrels.

[CutlassCollector]

Originally Posted by corrado26

The complete signature on the barrel reads "Fourni par Lacaille......" It follows that Lacaille was not the manufacturer, but probably just the dealer who sold the pistol. As a gunsmith, he would most likely have inscribed his name on the lock plate - as was common practice.
One more word about hair pulls: They are by no means an invention of Boutet or only appeared towards the end of the 18th century. As early as 1550, the Augsburg gunsmith Augustin Kutter was cutting hairlines into barrels.

Hello corrado and thanks for that - I was hoping that someone would have seen that inscription before. So now it reads.

'Provided by Lacaille the elder of Blois'

Fernando, I did not know that about the fourbisseurs and you were right. It makes me think that the first word has been intentionally removed to imply the more famous Lacaille gunmaker.
Which would be a strange sort of vandalism as it does seem like a quality pistol.

[CutlassCollector]

Originally Posted by Fernando K

Hello
Microrifling was used in luxury weapons, mainly in France, by BOUTET, and at the end of the 18th century and part of the 19th century, by the Versailles manufacture. There are also some Italian regulation pistols, with the "crushed bullet" method.

Affectionately

Thanks Fernando K, much appreciated and opened up further reading for me.