{"product_id":"original-19th-century-belgian-percussion-naval-pistol-with-captured-ramrod-circa-1850","title":"Original 19th Century Belgian Percussion Naval Pistol with Captured Ramrod - Circa 1850","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe right side of the barrel is marked with an \u003cstrong\u003eE \/ L G \/ * in an Oval\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Lovely mid 19th Century Belgian Naval percussion pistol, ready to research and display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYear of Manufacture: circa 1850\u003cbr\u003eCaliber: .70\" Pistol\u003cbr\u003eAmmunition Type: Lead Ball \u0026amp; Powder\u003cbr\u003eBarrel Length: 8 5\/8 Inches\u003cbr\u003eOverall Length: 14 1\/4 Inches\u003cbr\u003eAction: Percussion Rear Action\u003cbr\u003eFeed System: Muzzle-Loaded\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45304275140677,"sku":"ONAC261112","price":1395.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/923BB22F-229F-4AD0-9445-E4AAEE720C41.jpg?v=1783372121","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-19th-century-belgian-percussion-naval-pistol-with-captured-ramrod-circa-1850","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}