Original Item: One of a Kind. Belgium as we know it today was only established in 1830, when the population rebelled against Dutch rule. Prior to that, most of the country had been known as Flanders and other local areas, which were possessions of Spain, France and Holland over the prior several hundreds of years. Belgium would become an Industrial powerhouse, with its great capacity coming from the City of Liège, where gun making was a key industry. They would end up supplying Military Weapons all over Europe, especially after 1832 once it had established its own government.

During the Napoleonic Era they supplied many naval pistols to the Batavian Navy, formed after France overran the Netherlands during the Napoleonic wars. They would continue to supply these well into the 19th century, and later developed percussion naval pistols, which were supplied all over Europe. This very interesting Naval percussion pistol possibly was supplied to Scandinavian countries, most likely Norway or possibly Denmark. It features a distinctive lock with an uneven bottom, and we have only been able to find a few examples online. It features a "captured" swivel ramrod, so it cannot be lost at sea, as well as a brass butt cap with a lanyard loop, as usually seen on Naval pistols of the era. The lock screw escutcheon has a distinctive teardrop shape, and it looks like it probably had a belt hook at some point, but that was removed and the inlet for it filled with wood putty long ago.

The right side of the barrel is marked with an E / L G / * in an Oval proof, indicating manufacture in Liège, Belgium, and we were not able to find any other identifiable markings on the gun. The pistol is fitted with a 8 5/8" barrel that has a bore of about 0.70", and has an overall length is about 14 1/4". It is all brass mounted, typical for naval pistols due to its resistance to corrosion from the sea air. Overall condition is really quite nice, and the brass fittings have a lovely mellow patina. We checked the lock, and it is functional, but will fire at both half and full cock due to wear on the tumbler. We also noted that the half cock position is so close to the nipple cone as to be useless. The stock does show wear overall from service, with small scratches and dents, and there is a repaired crack that looks to go all the way through the pistol grip area. There is the previously mentioned area of wood filler on the left side as well.

A Lovely mid 19th Century Belgian Naval percussion pistol, ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1850
Caliber: .70" Pistol
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 8 5/8 Inches
Overall Length: 14 1/4 Inches
Action: Percussion Rear Action
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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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 possess, 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, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. 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. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.