A little help please - gunshow find

[apu]

Hello Gentleman and Ladies

I picked up a gun show find this weekend. It is my first foray into antique muzzle loading pistol so I need a little schooling about what I have here. The vendor claimed its a converted flint lock to percussion pistol but that is all he could provide. To my relatively naïve eye It looks English to me. Bottom proof on the barrel is a crown over V and the other proof is crown over a ? G or B. I wonder if this is a Birmingham proof? Google shows a Tomas Welch as a Birmingham gun maker circa 1747,coud this gun be related ?

The ram rod is missing, presumably it was wood? It has a sliding safety behind the hammer. Otherwise the .69 inch barrel and furniture appear to be in incredibly good original condition and mainspring/action seems perfectly functional.

Thank you kindly for any help.

 

[Musketfire]

Great find! Looks like it was originally a flintlock then was later converted to percussion, the conversion looks very good aswell.

Strikes me as being English, great looking arm!

 

[mrclean89]

Wow that is gorgeous. My last name is welsh, I would love to find a welch gun! Lucky guy


Your research all seems good to me. The ramrod should to easy to make and yes it would most likely have been wood.


Cheers, McLean

 

[apu]

Closer look, the second proof is a crown over GP, looks like these are London house proofs. Google seems to imply a date post 1670 based on the presence of crown over V, so I guess its possibly a Tomas Welch product( circa 1747). Although its curious as he is a Birmingham gun maker.

Update: Found another Birmingham gun maker John Welch circa 1779, likely an offspring of Tomas. I suppose he could also be the maker of this pistol. So it looks like I may have a possible window of manufacture from approximately 1750 to 1780, cool. It also appears it is possible that Birmingham gun makers could have there guns proofed in London and vice versa, especially prior to the mandated 1813 proof law.

 

[Brutus]

Manual safety; a cut above normal grade? Relatively short barrel suggests a gentleman's travelling pistol perhaps??

 

[mooncoon]

not much that I can add; only that the proof stamps look pre 1800 to me. You can see the remains of the pan on the lockplate, so the lock is obviously a convertion from flint

cheers mooncoon

 

[Skinny 1950]

The engraving on the the gun is a treat to see, the hammer in particular...you made the right decision.

 

[thumbshark]

Not knowing much on antique firearms, have you inquired with the http://www.ima-usa.com/contacts/ aka Family Gun on Nat Geo....