Antique Miniature wheellock pistol ?

wheellock95 · 3rd December 2022, 10:01 AM

I recently acquired what is purported to be an original 1/3 scale wheellock pistol made by the German maker Hans Bauer ? ( UK 10p for scale) But I cannot see any evidence for a maker. As regarding age I am told late 16th century/ early 17th century however of course I am dubious at this claim but that doesn’t take away from the extremely high quality of the craftsman ship that went into the pistol and is of extremely high quality. Sadly at some point someone has taken a wire brush to the surface And removed the original patina, but it still does show some age when examined closely and has sight pitting across the surface. Also I know the wrench is a modern and quite recently made addition. I would like to see what some of the highly knowledgeable members of this forum think and see what conclusion they come to. Look forward to a discussion.

fernando · 3rd December 2022, 12:16 PM

Perfect thing

.

wheellock95 · 3rd December 2022, 12:23 PM

Thank you Fernando

. What do you think regarding its age ?

fernando · 3rd December 2022, 12:31 PM

I wish i could be of help, sorry

; others will certainly have a word on that !

wheellock95 · 3rd December 2022, 12:38 PM

No problem Fernando, thanks for looking

Tordenskiold1721 · 3rd December 2022, 02:38 PM

16th century and early 17th century pistols/muskets and rifles should have rounded screw tops holding parts together. Three of your screws have flat tops while all other looks 16th century.

The three screw tops could have been placed there as part of a restoration. I had a wheellock rifle dated 1604 restored, and it came back with a few flat screw tops as the gunsmith did not know that they should be round. I have yet to have this detail corrected.

All wheellocks in my collection has rounded screw tops. Except the few restored ones as aforementioned.

If anyone can find a photo of an original 16th century or early 17th century wheellock with flat screw tops, you will have proven me wrong

By doing a quick Google and Pinterest search, this little detail can be seen.

3rd December 2022, 10:01 AM	#1
wheellock95 Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 46	Antique Miniature wheellock pistol ? I recently acquired what is purported to be an original 1/3 scale wheellock pistol made by the German maker Hans Bauer ? ( UK 10p for scale) But I cannot see any evidence for a maker. As regarding age I am told late 16th century/ early 17th century however of course I am dubious at this claim but that doesn’t take away from the extremely high quality of the craftsman ship that went into the pistol and is of extremely high quality. Sadly at some point someone has taken a wire brush to the surface And removed the original patina, but it still does show some age when examined closely and has sight pitting across the surface. Also I know the wrench is a modern and quite recently made addition. I would like to see what some of the highly knowledgeable members of this forum think and see what conclusion they come to. Look forward to a discussion. Attached Images

3rd December 2022, 12:23 PM	#3
wheellock95 Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 46	Thank you Fernando. What do you think regarding its age ?

3rd December 2022, 12:16 PM	#2
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Perfect thing .

3rd December 2022, 12:31 PM	#4
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	I wish i could be of help, sorry ; others will certainly have a word on that !

3rd December 2022, 12:38 PM	#5
wheellock95 Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 46	No problem Fernando, thanks for looking

3rd December 2022, 02:38 PM	#6
Tordenskiold1721 Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 71	16th century and early 17th century pistols/muskets and rifles should have rounded screw tops holding parts together. Three of your screws have flat tops while all other looks 16th century. The three screw tops could have been placed there as part of a restoration. I had a wheellock rifle dated 1604 restored, and it came back with a few flat screw tops as the gunsmith did not know that they should be round. I have yet to have this detail corrected. All wheellocks in my collection has rounded screw tops. Except the few restored ones as aforementioned. If anyone can find a photo of an original 16th century or early 17th century wheellock with flat screw tops, you will have proven me wrong By doing a quick Google and Pinterest search, this little detail can be seen.