Item Description
Original Item: One Only. Hard to believe that any European Nation would manufacture Brown Bess Muskets for England's enemies, but unfortunately it is true. Belgium, always a big arms manufacture, and for the longest time under the influence of France, had even made Brown Bess Muskets for the British Crown in the late 18th. Century. Britain had a war in America and was expanding its hold in India and many other places in the world, Britain was the MARKET.
This Brown Bess clone was made almost certainly after the Battle of Waterloo using surplus components. Overall length of the musket is 56 inches, and the stock is in good restored condition. No structural issues with a great finish. The barrel of just about 39 inches bears Belgian E.L.G. proof marks as well as an Indian Elephant with Howdah engraved into the top of the barrel. The fittings are all of brass however just a tad smaller than on a standard Brown Bess Musket. The musket has FOUR ram rod pipes, a tradition abandoned by the British in the 1790s, and the lock, although similar in appearance is in fact of French origin we suspect. It is marked MLL by the frizzen spring, and dated 1806 across the tail. It is shorter than a standard Brown Bess lock and has a Flintlock Cock that may very well have started life on a French Charlesville musket. Additionally the Musket has a "thumb piece" or "escutcheon", again of British design, but that ceased to be used after about 1765, again however smaller than the British equivalent.
I suspect this Musket was especially made for the SIKH EMPIRE in the Punjab of India. Sikhs are, for want of a better term, extreme Hindus, and are a "Warrior Sect". Relations with the East India Company came to head with the First Sikh War of 1845/6 followed two years later with the Second Sikh war of 1848/49 when the British routed the Sikh Empire. Gradually Great Britain took total control of all India which at the time included what is today Pakistan, Bangladesh and modern day India.
A very hard to find Indian Contract Brown Bess, totally cleaned and ready to display.
NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to posses, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.
These antique guns are not sold in live condition. They are sold as collector’s items or as wall hangers. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.
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