Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely Irish Percussion "Walking" Pistol, made by the well-known Rigby of Dublin. This firm was known under several names over the years, lasting from 1775 all the way to 1892 with various generations of William and John Rigby's family working with the firm. It was John Rigby III who really led to the firm becoming name known worldwide, and this example comes from a decade or so before he established the London office in 1866. We have only had one Rigby marked firearm before, and we estimate that this example was made in 1840, after which it saw long service.
The pistol measures 10" in overall length with a heavy 5" spiral forged octagonal smooth bore barrel with a "Man-Stopping" caliber of 0.78"!!! That's the same as the muskets of the day, and would have packed a serious punch. The lock plate is marked Rigby, and unfortunately all other markings on the exterior have been worn away due to use and cleaning. It even looks like the original cap bolster has to be replaced due to wear, with another screwed in after it was drilled out. We do not see any signs that this pistol was ever in the flintlock configuration.
The pistol is fully iron mounted except for a silver shield-shaped escutcheon on the back of the grip. The metalwork looks to originally have been heavily engraved, however it is now quite worn. It is fitted with a very nice "captured" ramrod under the barrel, like a Naval pistol. This is still fully intact, and the lock is still fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full, though there is a bit of slop in the action.
Overall condition is very nice, but it definitely shows long use and some repairs to the stock, which shows a lot of cracking on the right side of the stock, particularly near the nose. There is also a bit of wood filler.
A very nice Walking Pistol by one of the most famous names in Dublin gunmaking, ready to research and display!
Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: circa 1840
Caliber: about .78 inches
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder with Percussion Cap
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Overall Length: 10 inches
Action: Side Action Percussion
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.
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. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers". 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.
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