Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original Victorian era British East India Company Model D percussion musket dating to approximately 1841-1842 and originating from IMA's 2003 shipment of arms from the Royal Armory of Nepal. It is fitted with a 39" .75 caliber smoothbore barrel, East India Company Rampant Lion lock, London proofed barrel and breech, correct EIC side plate configuration, both sling swivels, and a recent production replacement ramrod.

This is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The East India Company Model D was a short lived percussion musket pattern produced during the early 1840s. A closely comparable example is illustrated in David Harding's Smallarms of the East India Company 1600-1856, Volume 2, pages 108-109, where this pattern is associated with approximately 1841-1842 production.

The musket measures approximately 55" overall and is fitted with a 39" smoothbore barrel of approximately .75 caliber. There is no bayonet catch, which is consistent with the supplied Model D identification.

The lock bears the East India Company Rampant Lion device. The quality and style of the lion engraving, together with the knurling on the hammer, suggest that the lock may have been produced in India under British supervision, though this attribution cannot be proven from the visible markings alone.

The sear spring is marked:

31

which may indicate the use of an imported or separately numbered component.

The breech end of the barrel carries London Gunmakers' Company proof markings, including:

CROWN / GP

on both the barrel and screw in breech. This is the "Gunmakers Black Powder Proof", and both are slightly worn, but still easily discernable.

An additional script marking:

F / 7

is present on the right side of the breech.

The side plate retains the centrally located screw associated with East India Company musket construction of this type.

The iron and steel components have developed a mature oxidized patina, while the brass furniture shows an attractive mellow tone following past cleaning and long storage. The lock was checked by hand and presently holds at half cock and releases from full cock. These observations describe only its current mechanical condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the musket is safe to load or fire.

The stock is a dark brown hardwood with attractive visible grain and no major structural damage observed. Later Nepalese unit markings are present on the trigger guard finial. Both sling swivels remain present and move freely. The ramrod is a recent production replacement and is not original to the musket.

With its circa 1841-1842 Model D configuration, .75 caliber smoothbore barrel, London proof markings, Rampant Lion lock, characteristic East India Company side plate, Nepal cache provenance, and intact sling swivels, this is a particularly interesting example of an early percussion East India Company long arm. The oxidized metal surfaces, cleaned brass, later Nepalese markings, uncertain lock production origin, and replacement ramrod are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in an East India Company arms, British percussion musket, Nepal cache, early Victorian military firearm, or advanced 19th century colonial arms collection.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1841-1842
Caliber: .75"
Model: EIC Pattern D Percussion Musket
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 39 Inches
Overall Length: 55 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

More on East India Company Percussion Muskets:

Official records tell us that the British East India Company procured or made no Flintlock Muskets after the late 1820s and it appears they were very swift to take advantage of the newest in firearms technology- the percussion ignition system. In 1840 the HEIC began producing the world's very first mass-produced percussion muskets one of which later became known as the EIC Model "C".

A brief history of how this model came to being- The shortened 39" barrel Brown Bess musket was first developed and adopted by the EIC in 1771. This was a full 25 years before the Board of Ordnance in London followed suit with a 39" Brown Bess Musket dubbed the "India Pattern" in 1796. This is a testament that private enterprise has seemingly always got things done long before government bureaucrats. In 1839 the British Government officially adopted a converted to percussion Brown Bess musket (P-1796/39) but in the Great Fire of the Tower of London of 1841 over 400,000 of these converted Muskets were destroyed leaving the British Government very short handed. The result, once again, was to copy the current EIC Percussion Musket, the Model "F" and designate it the "Lovell's Pattern of 1842". By that time, the EIC had already developed and refined the .75 bore Percussion musket through six models- A to F.

The differences between the various EIC Models are generally minor; Model A and B were Brown Bess flintlock conversions, Model C and D were purpose built percussion muskets but had the "Old Series" side locks and screw on breech barrels, with differing trigger guard styles. The Model E and F both had the "new series" side locks with a redesigned cap bolster that was welded directly to the barrel, and not part of a screw on breech. They had either the Hanoverian Catch on the Model E or the EIC bayonet catch on the Model F.

Please See David Harding's stellar work "Smallarms of the East India Company 1600-1856" published in four volumes by Foresight Books in 1997. Specifically, please see Volume 2, pages 97-124 for a mass of information concerning the vary EIC Model muskets.

NOTE: 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.

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.