Original Item: One of a Kind. The Harper's Ferry Model 1805 U.S. martial flintlock pistol manufactured at the Harpers Ferry Armory in Virginia (now West Virginia) was the first pistol manufactured by an American national armory. It was the standard handgun of the U.S. Dragoons during the War of 1812

Harper's Ferry 1805, 1806, 1807 and 1808 flintlock pistols were all essentially identical, and the design has similarities with the Model 1803 rifles also produced at Harpers Ferry. The M1805 pistol was a .54 caliber, single-shot, smoothbore, flintlock pistol intended for field duty. Harper's Ferry model 1805–1808 flintlock pistols were known then as “horsemen’s pistols” and were produced in pairs; both pistols having identical serial numbers. With just one shot readily available without reloading, a pair or "brace" was the standard issue. Horse accouterments also included a standard pair of saddle holsters. No serial number higher than 2048 has ever been discovered—and that is exactly half of the number recorded as produced at the Harper's Ferry Armory. There are between 200–300 of these pistols known to exist today.

This is a very interesting example of the Rare Harpers Ferry Martial Pistol, which we believe is a Model 1807 variant which was re-stocked during the War of 1812 Period or later for further use. The lock is still marked with a crisp American "Federal Eagle" / U.S. under of the hammer, and was produced at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, as indicated on the lock plate tail:

HARPERS
FERRY
1807

The breech of the barrel is marked with the correct US in an oval next to an Eagle's Head over P, also in an oval, the correct Armory proof marks of the era and later, first instituted in 1799, replacing the earlier "Liberty Cap" marking. Next to these is 471, the serial number of the pistol, which would be used to match it with its pair. We checked the lock action, and it is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full, though the mainspring is a bit weak.

The replaced stock shows the lovely color of aged and oiled walnut, though it also shows quite a bit of wear from use, and was designed to look somewhat like the original stock, though the grip is more curved and straight at the bottom. There are dents, dings, gouges, and other signs of long service, however no major structural damage. The sides are a bit dented / worn in in areas, and there are some small cracks on the side, but they do not appear to be structural. There is a ramrod present, but it looks to have been replaced at the same time the stock was.

A great patinated example of a very hard to find early U.S. Martial flintlock pistol with a replaced stock, ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: 1807
Caliber: .54" Pistol
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 10 Inches
Overall Length: 15 1/1 Inches
Action: Flintlock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

War of 1812
During the War of 1812, the M1805 pistol was issued to American cavalry. Due to the high demand for weapons, a variety of single shot flintlock pistols were manufactured in some of the states, especially Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Some featured improvements such as iron instead of wood ramrods.

Later developments
The U.S. military subsequently used a variety of flintlock pistols produced by government contractors, especially Simeon North of Connecticut, between 1808 and 1844. The last of these was the U.S. Model 1836. A caplock version of the M1836 pistol, the U.S. Model 1842, was issued to the Dragoons during the Seminole War and US-Mexican War until the Colt Dragoon revolver was introduced in 1848. The last U.S. martial single shot muzzleloading pistol was the U.S. Springfield Model 1855, a .58 caliber handgun manufactured at the Springfield Armory with a detachable shoulder stock designed for use by US dragoons during the Indian Wars. By that period, revolvers had become the preferred sidearms for mounted troops.

Single shot muzzleloading pistols were widely used by gunfighters and mountain men in the early days of the Old West, including Kit Carson. Many were also issued to the Confederate army during the American Civil War. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch was carrying a pair of Model 1836 pistols when he was killed by a Union army sniper in 1862.

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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.

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