Miquelet Pistol, decoration and maker questions

[fernando]

You are quite right in that these things are often a dilemma to solve.
Weapons smiths weren't necessarily fine writers; the are lots of their names wrongly spelled.
The barrel maker is often a person other than the lock maker; the similarity in both marks lettering would just be a coincidence.
Cerra doen'st sound spanish (Castillian); Cierra would sound better ... but Sierra would sound best.
Serrat is a Catalunian name and matches with the lock mark letters; who knows?
XVII century ? I would be deeply surprised .

[dana_w]

Originally Posted by fernando

XVII century ? I would be deeply surprised .

You didn't say what you think.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by dana_w

You didn't say what you think.

I am no expert ... mid-end XVIII ... hardly beg. XIX. Remember the miquelet lock lasted til very late. But if i had no third party opinion, i would date it as XVIII ... even if late.

[dana_w]

Originally Posted by fernando

I am no expert ... mid-end XVIII ... hardly beg. XIX. Remember the miquelet lock lasted til very late. But if i had no third party opinion, i would date it as XVIII ... even if late.

I would love to hear what everyone thinks about that. Looks earlier to me. You are right about the Miquelet. They were in use a long, long, time, and for good reason.

[fernando]

I will in the meantime try and ask the opinion of this person i asked about the pistols origin.

Just phoned him ... transition XVIII-XIX

[dana_w]

Originally Posted by fernando

I will in the meantime try and ask the opinion of this person i asked about the pistols origin.

That is great. I am here to hear what other knowledgeable people think. Even if I don't always agree!

[fernando]

Originally Posted by dana_w

That is great. I am here to hear what other knowledgeable people think. Even if I don't always agree!

Probably you didn't notice my later paragraph in my post #10.
The opinion of Eduardo Nobre, author of As Armas e os Barões, a book where he dedicates a chapter to Egg Butt pistols, with an introduction to this species plus some twenty multi angle ilustrated examples, is that yours is from the transition period XVIII - XIX centuries.
Obviously you are not compelled to accept such opinion .