Flintlock pistol for ID

[Evgeny_K]

Colleagues,
I'm asking for help to identify the remains of a pistol, found on the battlefields of the War of 1812.
I would appreciate any help.

[Marcus den toom]

The overall form of the parts make me wonder if it is not a lot older?
I think either Dutch or French around 1740's.
The lock has no bridle (the counterplate inside the lock for the tumbler), the lockplate is also still curved (banana shaped)and so on.I would be suprised if this would turn out to be 1812's

A nice find all the same

[fernando]

Most certainly a model earlier than 1812, not preventing it to have been present in that war .
The frizzen spring also missing ?
What shoks me is the difference in condition between the heavily oxidized bronze parts, the rather cleaned lockplate and the two screws which have a (much too) impecable thread .
... As if the whole set did not belong in the same family .

[Evgeny_K]

Originally Posted by fernando

What shoks me is the difference in condition between the heavily oxidized bronze parts, the rather cleaned lockplate and the two screws which have a (much too) impecable thread .
... As if the whole set did not belong in the same family .

the lock was restored

http://smolbattle.ru/index.php?threa...8%D1%8F.28626/

[fernando]

Originally Posted by fernando

The frizzen spring also missing ? ...

I was blind; the frizzen spring is there

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Marcus den toom

The overall form of the parts make me wonder if it is not a lot older?
I think either Dutch or French around 1740's.
The lock has no bridle (the counterplate inside the lock for the tumbler), the lockplate is also still curved (banana shaped)and so on.I would be suprised if this would turn out to be 1812's

A nice find all the same

I totally agree, that these elements are from a far earlier period does not exclude it from the context of this massive battle and campaign. It is well known that officers of the many forces present in these often carried heirloom or otherwise favored weapons at their own disgression. While a degree of regulation was of course the case for other ranks of line regiments in their weaponry as standard in military context, there were still some variations in issuance matters with transitional circumstances.

In the case of many auxiliary units in these forces, some were essentially along the lines of militia type, in which case it would not be surprising that ersatz arms of varying vintage might have been employed.
In the American Revolution for example, there were many foreign weapons used, and many of these were Dutch, Spanish, French and German with vintage even into the previous century (see Nuemann, "Swords and Blades of the American Revolution"). While this refers to edged weapons obviously, it was the same of course with firearms.