Blunderbuss

[celtan]

Hi Eley,

One thing that makes me doubt Indian provenance is it's a flintlock, and the Raj began in the mid 19th C., welll after flintlocks were obsolete.

That is, unless the brits were providing the sepoys with slightly obsolete weaponry, in case of a potential insurrection...

Regards

M


More photos

[fernando]

Ai Ai Ai Manolo, that breech plug

A screw instead of a plug?

Do you trust it ?

Here are some plugs.

Fernando

.

[celtan]

Frankly, no. And the end shape of the flint holding screw is flat, instead of pointed. And the finish underneath the barrel's tang and the barrel don't seem well done. Add to that the total lack of markings and we get a confusing picture. Why?

This gun has seen action, there are multiple flint cuts in the side of the barrel, as well as burnt marks around the priming channel/ear and the cazoleta/flash pan has that unmistaken sign of having been flash-burnt repeatedly. Obviously, it was made to be used, not to be sold to unwary tourists. It's functional.


Kahnjar's theory looks more plausible now...

What do you make of it all? Fake, copy, field repair? Besides the barrel, most of the gun feels legit.

Originally Posted by fernando

Ai Ai Ai Manolo, that breech plug

A screw instead of a plug?

Do you trust it ?

Here are some plugs.

Fernando

.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by celtan

... What do you make of it all? Fake, copy, field repair? Besides the barrel, most of the gun feels legit ...

What do i know ? Indeed the barrel is the more suspicious section; note that its back is integral, whereas allways the tang and plug are separated from the barrel ... am i not right ?
But talking about screws, although the lock plate screws don't seem right, having a much too perfect end, for the period, i guess.
The lock itself looks too new, i would say. The trigger guard filing detail is rather raw, don't you agree ?
Remember what the other guy said about this piece being a kit ?
But i will not issue a final diagnosis; don't know enough to do so .
Saludos
Fernando

.

[celtan]

We concur. But I don't think it's a kit, otherwise we'd have seen plenty of others, and that's not the case. In fact, I have only seen one like it in a weapon's book. All others are merely reasonably similar.

Filipino armorers can copy most guns in a couple days. The odd thing is that it came with a real 18-19th C. spanish flintlock pistol, both bought concurrently from the very same source.

I'm at a loss here.



M

Originally Posted by fernando

What do i know ? Indeed the barrel is the more suspicious section; note that its back is integral, whereas allways the tang and plug are separated from the barrel ... am i not right ?
But talking about screws, although the lock plate screws don't seem right, having a much too perfect end, for the period, i guess.
The lock itself looks too new, i would say. The trigger guard filing detail is rather raw, don't you agree ?
Remember what the other guy said about this piece being a kit ?
But i will not issue a final diagnosis; don't know enough to do so .
Saludos
Fernando

.

[kahnjar1]

I have just come back to this thread, and see that pics of the inside of the lock and the lock cavity have been posted since I was here last time.
In my humble opinion, those screws look modern to me, and show next to no wear from having been removed. Also there appears to be clear evidence of circular marks towards the edge of them. This is not what I would expect to see on old internal screws. Most old locks also show deforming of the screw slots from "attention" by non armourer trained people.
The pics I have of similar locks, have screws with heads which are far more "barrel shaped" as opposed to dome shaped which appear here. Also the lock cavity seems very clean for an item of some age. I would have thought that there would be noticable residue of powder and oil.
I don't think that this is a kit, but equally I am not 100% sure that it was made to ever be used in anger.

[celtan]

Which means that...I get to shoot the d. thing on our next re-enactment!

I wonder how much 2F BP I can pack into that sucker's barrel...


: )

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

I have just come back to this thread, and see that pics of the inside of the lock and the lock cavity have been posted since I was here last time.
In my humble opinion, those screws look modern to me, and show next to no wear from having been removed. Also there appears to be clear evidence of circular marks towards the edge of them. This is not what I would expect to see on old internal screws. Most old locks also show deforming of the screw slots from "attention" by non armourer trained people.
The pics I have of similar locks, have screws with heads which are far more "barrel shaped" as opposed to dome shaped which appear here. Also the lock cavity seems very clean for an item of some age. I would have thought that there would be noticable residue of powder and oil.
I don't think that this is a kit, but equally I am not 100% sure that it was made to ever be used in anger.