Original item. Only One Available. This is a lovely early French Officer's flintlock horse pistol, dating to approximately 1760. It is highly decorative, with a lovely carved stock and some great engraved and embossed brass mountings, which show a lovely mellow patina. These include a lovely "long eared" butt cap which is octagonal in shape, and has an octagonal retaining pin as well. The other fittings show a similar angled motif, including the ramrod pipes and trigger guard. The rear of the wrist bears a lovely shield shaped escutcheon, which is highly engraved.

The pistol is marked on the "banana" shaped lock plate with what believe reads P IACTVES, which we assume is the maker, but we have not been able to find any information regarding them. We assume we are reading it right, but it is possible due to wear that some letters are partial or missing.

The stock bears carved floral embellishments around the barrel tang and ramrod throat, and there are also carved raised areas around the fittings and metalwork. There is however definitely some damage to the stock, which shows evidence of past crack repairs. Many of these are around the lock plate, which currently has a crack near the lower rear, the runs almost to the trigger. We have not attempted to repair this, as it is part of the history of the pistol, and it is somewhat typical due to the carving process removing wood around that are, resulting in structural weakness.

The metalwork on the pistol is in good shape, with the lock showing a nice aged polished patina, while the barrel has mellowed to a lovely brown color. There is not any major active oxidation that we can see. We checked the lock action, and it does work, but it will not hold securely at half cock. The pistol is fitted with a ramrod, but it looks to be a relatively recent replacement with a brass end fitting.

A lovely French Flintlock pistol with some great research potential. Ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1760
Caliber: .61" Pistol
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 12 1/4 inches
Overall Length: 19 inches
Action: Flintlock Side Action
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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.