Playfair Aberdeen flintlock pocket pistols

[Ar180shooter]

So these have apparently been in the family for many years, a pair of "Playfair Aberdeen" flintlock pocket pistols, they look to be around 48 caliber. From the back of the grip to the muzzle they measure about 6 1/2". I was wondering if anyone had any information on these, and what I'd be looking at needing to shoot them (I figure new flints, some ffffg black powder, and appropriately sized balls/patches).

 

[dakotamar]

So these have apparently been in the family for many years, a pair of "Playfair Aberdeen" flintlock pocket pistols, they look to be around 48 caliber. I was wondering if anyone had any information on these, and what I'd be looking at needing to shoot them (I figure new flints, some ffffg black powder, and appropriately sized balls/patches).

i would think 3fff powder in barrel . 4f for the pan. do the barrels still screw off? what's the pitting like inside them? do the flints not produce spark?

 

[Ar180shooter]

i would think 3fff powder in barrel . 4f for the pan. do the barrels still screw off? what's the pitting like inside them? do the flints not produce spark?

Haven't tried screwing the barrels off, only a tiny bit of pitting in the barrels, the flints do not produce sparks when striking the frizzen. The flints probably haven't been changed in a century, I know for a fact that my grandfather never fired them.

 

[dakotamar]

Haven't tried screwing the barrels off, only a tiny bit of pitting in the barrels, the flints do not produce sparks when striking the frizzen. The flints probably haven't been changed in a century, I know for a fact that my grandfather never fired them.

you may only have to nap them or adjust them in the holder. i am not an expert on flints, only have two and so far they have been sparking. i would look at some youtube videos on napping (sp?) . them or try moving them a bit to see if they spark. I have one like yours but haven't try firing it yet. I was thinking of just putting some shot in it to try. the proper way to load those was to take the barrel off and put your powder in and then a ball and then put the barrel back on, from what I have read. i was also going try a small ball with a patch on it, something that was not too tight a fit as I did not want a lot of pressure build up.

do you still have the barrel wrench?

 

[Ar180shooter]

you may only have to nap them or adjust them in the holder. i am not an expert on flints, only have two and so far they have been sparking. i would look at some youtube videos on napping (sp?) . them or try moving them a bit to see if they spark. I have one like yours but haven't try firing it yet. I was thinking of just putting some shot in it to try. the proper way to load those was to take the barrel off and put your powder in and then a ball and then put the barrel back on, from what I have read. i was also going try a small ball with a patch on it, something that was not too tight a fit as I did not want a lot of pressure build up.

do you still have the barrel wrench?

Good info on loading them, thanks. I do not have a barrel wrench for them unfortunately. If you have one, could you post pics? I could probably manufacture one without too much difficulty.

 

[dakotamar]

Good info on loading them, thanks. I do not have a barrel wrench for them unfortunately. If you have one, could you post pics? I could probably manufacture one without too much difficulty.

don't have one. i think you could find a pic on the web somewhere. likely just a round hole the size of the barrel with a notch in it for that little wedge on the barrel. i've got some different size round balls if you ever want to try some for size...

 

[H Wally]

They look nice. Probably originally had a nice little case with baize liner and tools. Might be worth making, or having one made for them, since they're family heirlooms.

If you can dig up a knowledgeable blackpowder shooter they may be able to get you on the right path with correct knapping, the correct ball size etc. For a wrench, those look like nice guns, so make sure your wrench is a nice smooth fit with no burs, sharp edges or loose bits that'll mar the finish or round the edges of the keys. If you're willing to piddle around a bit, make it out of something that can't scratch the finish/patina. It'll basically look like a wrench with a ring on one end, and that ring will have a notch/keyway for the matching tooth on the barrel. Maybe start preparing now by putting a penetrating oil down the bore on the seam and outside - if they're seized in with rust that'll help. If it's old oil/grease that has glued the barrels on then very gentle heat on the barrel only will loosen them when you twist it off (very gentle).

If the flints won't spark after knapping then your frizzens may need hardening... but doesn't look like they've been fired much so I wouldn't think that was the case unless someone compulsively dry fired them for ages and wore through the hardening. I've handled some that were ?apparently? meant to accept an oversized ball and some that accepted standard balls. The screw barrels that took oversized balls relied on pure lead balls to neck down to the bore diameter and spike the pressure to get more velocity, while the others just were meant to take bore diameter balls. I've never considered them insanely tough guns so never really pushed them. Source whatever size ball matches bore diameter or under. At worst start with a light load and undersized ball and it'll shoot like a mouse fart .

 

[B.H.B]

Those are beautiful. I'm not a black powder shooter or know much about them, but, in my opinion they should be appraised before you do anything to them. The same goes for any genuine antique that could be worth a lot. Ellwood Epps is a business member on CGN who deals with some of these antiques.

 

[B.H.B]

This image was found in searching for C. Playfair Co Aberdeen. From Graces guide to British industrial history.

I only found a few auction entries for their pistols. More than ten years old though, but both for more than $2000 USD.

 

[mooncoon]

I definitely would not use 4F powder in them; potentially give you too high a pressure. I would use 3F for both loading and priming. If you can unscrew the barrel you will find the area allotted for powder only holds 5 maybe 10 grains of powder and a slightly oversize ball sits on top of the powder while you screw the barrel down over it. If the barrels cannot be unscrewed then try 5 grains or a bit more of 3F powder followed by a patched ball. If the barrel does not want to come off fairly easily and IF you can remove the wood without damaging any screws etc, soak the metal portion in penetrating oil for several days and try again. If making a barrel wrench, I think I can see a tiny lug on the bottom of each barrel which would fit in a notch in the wrench which would be a fairly close fit to the barrel. One final caution; it has been my experience that water can dissolve the finish on many older guns leaving a noticeable mark. Not sure what was used and I keep wondering if it was shellac on the surface. I also don't know how they cleaned their guns in the good old days without damaging the finish

cheers mooncoon

 

[Ar180shooter]

Thanks for the advice. I picked up some 3F powder to try it out. Being unable to get the barrel off (I'll take it to a gunsmith to get that done), i picked up some slightly undersized balls and patches. It loaded fairly easily and when shooting produced very little recoil. I knew flintlocks had a long delay between pulling the trigger and it discharging, but actually experiencing it is something else. It was a lot of fun!