British India Percushion Pistol

[sabertasche]

I thought I'd post this in the European section even though it was probably used in India. The reason I make this assumption is that there is a number 23 on the stock which I believe is 23 written in Sanskrit. I not sure what the calibre is but it appears to be about .50. I can find no other marks on it aside from the number. Any thoughts on the decoration of the lock? I can find no indication that was a government issue except for the number.

Cheers,

Greg

[kahnjar1]

Have you removed the barrel to see if there are marks underneath?
Regards Stuart

[sabertasche]

You what Stuart, I haven't I suppose I should (I don't know why I didn't think of that! ).

I just took it apart, no marks at all.

I also removed the nipple and found a tack nail in the touch hole. It looks somwhat modern. I suspect the previous owner was trying to unplug the hole and broke the nail off.

The ram rod is wedged in pretty tightly against the RR holder? (I don't know the technical term it). I've put some penitrating oil in the thing and I'll try to remove it gently in a day or so.

This pistole is filthy, since I've got it apart, I might as well give it some TLC.

Any suggestions as to what I should use to clean the metal parts? I have a jar of goo-be-gone which I can put the small screws in to clean but the barrel is filled with crud and congealed oil. BTW, it is a rifled barrel.


Greg

[kahnjar1]

Hi Greg,
I would not be too harsh with the cleaning. From the pics the finish on the barrel does not look too bad. I am not familiar with the product you mention, but I would use something like WD 40 or CRC 556 to coat the barrel and then use a VERY FINE steel wool to polish. If there is caked rust, then you can use an old BRASS cartridge case squashed at the open end to gently scrape the rust. Generally if you are real careful you won't remove the finish and certainly brass will not scratch steel as it is softer.With ref to the nail in the nipple, it maybe that it was intentionally put there to stop someone from firing the gun. CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT IS NOT STILL LOADED!!
As there are no marks on the gun itself, I can not give any clue as to origin, and the number COULD BE an armoury number, OR it could be a number applied at some stage to identify it as part of someones collection.
Regards Stuart

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Hi Greg,
I would not be too harsh with the cleaning. From the pics the finish on the barrel does not look too bad. I am not familiar with the product you mention, but I would use something like WD 40 or CRC 556 to coat the barrel and then use a VERY FINE steel wool to polish. If there is caked rust, then you can use an old BRASS cartridge case squashed at the open end to gently scrape the rust. Generally if you are real careful you won't remove the finish and certainly brass will not scratch steel as it is softer.With ref to the nail in the nipple, it maybe that it was intentionally put there to stop someone from firing the gun. CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT IS NOT STILL LOADED!!
As there are no marks on the gun itself, I can not give any clue as to origin, and the number COULD BE an armoury number, OR it could be a number applied at some stage to identify it as part of someones collection.
Regards Stuart

Hi Greg,
One other thing that I forgot to mention. This pistol, although of unknown origins, looks to be in nice condition. Do not overclean and DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH THE WOODWORK as you will remove the age patina. All you need to do is give it a light rub with linseed oil, and it will come up beautifully.
Stu

[sabertasche]

Thanks for the wise words Stu. The first think I did was check for a stuck load in the barrel, no worries, it's safe. I'll give it a gentle cleaning and see if I can free the ram rod. The wood is nice so I'll just leave it be.

Cheers,

Greg