Original 18th Century Matched Pair of 20 Bore Flintlock Officer Pistols by William Brander of London - Circa 1775
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Original Items: One of a kind Pair. This is a lovely matched set of British Flintlock Officers Pistols, made by London gunsmith William Brander circa 1775. Brander had been made free of the Gunmakers Company in 1748, founding his own business circa 1752. He would later pass his successful gun-making business to his son Martin circa 1782-1789. We have seen several examples of Brander pistols, and he looks to have made both extremely ornate examples, as well as more utilitarian examples such as these, which still have some lovely brass fittings.
The pistols feature 8" three stage iron barrels, with an overall length of 13 3/4”. The barrels bear matching Proof marks from the London Gun Company proof house on the left hand side: the correct Crown / GP black powder "gunmaker's proof" and ;Crown V "Viewed" proof. These surround a touch mark of ✶ / WB for William Brander. The tops of the barrels are also marked with LONDON, and both are smoothbore, with an internal diameter of about 0.62", or 20 bore. The polished iron lock plates are each marked BRANDER in block letters, and they are typical of late 18th century lock plates, with two screws behind the hammer, but still retaining the earlier "unbridled" frizzen.
The brass mountings on each consist of masked long eared butt caps, trigger guards, oval escutcheons, two ramrod pipes, and lovely perforated floral design side plates. There is some lovely engraving on the fittings, which is tastefully done and not overbearing. The trigger guards have stars on the bottom, and terminate in lovely "acorn" designs at the tips. The high quality English walnut stocks themselves both have a bit of curl to the grain, and there are lovely "shell" designs carved around the barrel tangs on both. The wooden ramrods each have horn tips and are in great shape.
Condition of the pistols is very good, with very minor wear and a great patina of age. The stocks do show some denting and stress cracking, common for any pistol of this age. One of the pistols does have a repaired crack through the wrist, which also looks to have broken the tang of the trigger guard, which shows a brazed repair, so it was definitely professionally done long ago. The locks are both functional, however the example with the repaired stock does not hold at half cock, while the other pistol has a fully functional lock.
A great matched pair of late 18th Century British Officer's pistols, ready to research and display!
Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: circa 1775
Caliber: 20 Bore - about 0.62"
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 8 inches
Overall Length: 13 3/4 inches
Action: Flintlock Side Action
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded
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- This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey
This product is available for international shipping.
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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. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.
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