What Kind Of Bess Is This???

[albayo]

I have an old Bess in 76+ caliber with a 42" barrel, it is longer than the stock by 5 3/4".
The lock is 6" long has Tower Proof behind the hammer and a crown in front of it.
No date on the lock or initials below the crown.
It has been converted from a flintlock to percussion at some time in its life.
The stock is different than any of the Bess muskets I have seen in the past.
There is a newer style butt than the traditional Bess examples I have observed.
Someone suggested it could be the Duke Of Richmond Pattern but the stock should be 4" from the muzzle.
It has been converted to percussion and the lock doesn't look like it was a conversion from the flint system.
What model Bess is this, and when would it have been converted, and for who?

 

[budman]

Looks like the Indian pattern,wrong finish though.

 

[Musketfire]

Pre 41 Lovels "sp?" pattern Bess conversion, Before the 1841 Tower fire?? England had more then 100 thou Of them in the armories then after the fire not so much.

The stock looks heavily cleaned or a replacement, the trigger guard also looks odd kinda like those I have seen on late manufacture percussion trade guns "but why have provision to mount a bayonet on a trade gun?

Does she have any barrel markings near the breach?

Great looking old musket, hows the bore and crown looking?

 

[albayo]

The barrel is marked with two inspection marks both have a crown and crossed flags or similar swords but its hard to tell. There is an S. and a B or a 5, S.B or a S.5 the other letter or number is faint.
The bore is heavily pitted and the crown is thinner than what you would find an old shotgun. Isn't the crown only looked at in rifled firearms?

 

[Steppenwolf]

The lock looks like it's from Pattern 1839 Percussion musket. 1839 had a 39" barrel. I think this may have a New Land Musket barrel which is 42" and entered service in 1802. This may have been put together for native trade. I suggest you post it in the British Militaria Forum. h t t p://britishmilitariaforums.yuku.com/

 

[Ol' Flinter]

Looks like it was made up from a bunch of Brit military parts: never saw a Bess with snail type breech in percussion. Stock looks totally non-military and a later percussion lock fitted. Can't speak to the provenance of the butt plate and trigger guard. Side plate with the wood screw in the middle? Weird...

 

[tiriaq]

Don't know that there are any British military parts there. The lock isn't. Stock is beech. I think it was something made up for export.

 

[mooncoon]

: never saw a Bess with snail type breech in percussion.

The pattern 1839 and the pattern 1842 both had snail breach plugs but the 1839 snail was the smaller of the two and a bit different in shape. The 1842 on all used the same size snail and I think the locks were interchangeable for all except the 1839

cheers mooncoon