Scottish Pistol Pair

[Will M]

They appear to me as somewhat crudely made reproductions. They would function well for re enactors props.

[Tordenskiold1721]

Originally Posted by Will M

They appear to me as somewhat crudely made reproductions. They would function well for re enactors props.

Interesting, were and when by who was this reproductions made ?

[fernando]

Well Tordenskiold, Will's prompt judgement sounds as if he is well under what goes on with this type of pistols.
Alli know about them is that they are not easy to find and not cheap at all ... specially being found in pairs,a greater added value.
Let us expect Will offers further details that explain their non genuinity; or that other members step in to opine in this subject.

[Raf]

Admittedly the quality doesn't look great and the stamped (?) Tower difficult to account for . But . A lot of Scottish pistols were in fact made in Birmingham . Bissel was prolific maker . Paradoxically a lot of modern reproductions copy Bissel type pistols from the 1770s because they are relatively plain and easier to reproduce than the engraved Scottish examples. The attached shows a late pistol by Bissel which like the pistols under discussion has a military style ring neck cock and the later style of cock spur. It's from Edinburgh castle so I think we can assume it's authentic. The two screws visible behind the cock of the pistols under discussion follow nineteenth century practice. Scottish style flintlocks with German silver stocks were being made in Birmingham the 1850s so we can assume these were regimental regalia following the fashion for all things Scottish in the early victorian period. What looks like a 2 on one pistol might have some regimental significance . On balance I can't see why these are not nineteenth century Birmingham made pistols possibly slightly out of period . Probably irrelevant but the old name for the Birmingham proof house was the Tower.

[Fernando K]

Hello
Would there be any test punch in the barrels? Would you need a photo of the interior of the lock
Affectionately

[Fernando K]

Hello

The Scottish model pistols provided by the Crown to the Scottish regiments had a bronze stock and the firing system was the original Scottish, horizontal movement, with a window in the plate that let out an appendage that held the cock in half- cock and that was withdrawn to shoot, not like the specimen in this post, which has a vertical trigger, like in the French lock.
I think it is a modern reproduction. Raf has made it clear that the word TOWER is stamped and we still don't know what material the stock is made of. Maybe it's a reproduction of India, I don't know

Affectionately

[corrado26]

I cannot see the sense of the screws at the ramshorn butt. Normally these are needles to clean the ignition hole but these two items are far too thick for this purpose. So I tend to think that these pistols are fakes

[Tordenskiold1721]

Originally Posted by Fernando K

Hello

The Scottish model pistols provided by the Crown to the Scottish regiments had a bronze stock and the firing system was the original Scottish, horizontal movement, with a window in the plate that let out an appendage that held the cock in half- cock and that was withdrawn to shoot, not like the specimen in this post, which has a vertical trigger, like in the French lock.
I think it is a modern reproduction. Raf has made it clear that the word TOWER is stamped and we still don't know what material the stock is made of. Maybe it's a reproduction of India, I don't know

Affectionately

Thank you for taking your time taking a good look at the pistols. It seems to me that the triggers are placed as you describe they should be on Schottish pistols. To answer your question. The pistols are made in all weapons grade steel with the type of pitting and minor rust as can be ecpected.

The black coating that is seen on the inside of the lock and inside the pistol is old oil or grease that is very sticky(it can be confused for unpolished steel on the photo). Photos attached in half and fully cocked. The springs are made well, making the lock fuction well.

The last photo is of a few other pistols signed by well known Gunsmiths, having collected pistols for over 40 years, I have tried to find something wrong with the Tower stamped pistol pair.

After checking the needles on the screws Udo(Corrado) says are not there in fact are there and fuction well and taking the pistols apart, checking Fernados constructions descriptions. I thank Raf for his constructive inputs.

Udo says the screws are just screws when they in reality have needles in the end that penetrates the touch holes and the all steel construction seems right. The inside of the locks are correctly made for the period 1780 - 1810. Based on what I can see, I am asking you humbly, Fernando to inform me your knowledge of who and were and when in India these pistols are made ?