Belgium Flintlock Military Pistol

[BSA Jack]

Here is a pistol that I have had since the sunny slopes of yesterday Not really showing off, ok sure I am. Anyways would like any comments good or bad, any idea of it's present value-- doesn't really matter not for sale. And any info you can share on it. All I've ever thought I knew is that it was a Belgium military pistol. It has four neat notches on trigger guard and also four in wood just below lock, don't know if that's eight that tipped over in total or four wounded and four done in Has looks like DN with maybe the crown over on the lock. Has Belgium on barrel. Has a funny mark ahead of the trigger guard in the wood and I have seen a similar design on another old Belgium flinter before, does any one know if this has any meaning? Never have measured bore looks big if your looking down it. rough guess 16 guage. Anyway enjoy and please comment if you like. Cheers john

 

[Waterloomike]

Are you going to shoot it?

Interesting piece and the notches are curious. they look deliberate.

 

[Waba]

Nice piece of history there. I have liked the style of that pistol ever since I first saw them as surplus offerings in the 1911 ALFA and the 1903(?) Sears Roebuck reproduction catalogues.
I have always wondered how it balances in the hand, as it seems to be not as clunky as many of the old service flintlocks.

 

[BSA Jack]

Thanks for replies, yes i would like to shoot it Mike, never have, so any ideas on safe powder charge, I am going to disassemble and clean a little , have to figure out what bore size is, bore looks to be smooth-- patched ball ? or a load of rusty nails and ball bearings ? was the actual military pistol smooth bore? To answer your reply Waba, yes it does feel sweet , hold it out grip your wrist with other hand and WoW, It has been displayed probably illegally, in my gun room for about 20 some years so-- yea would be fun to shoot it.

 

[mrclean89]

I would say figure out the caliber and then half the charge. So if its .69 caliber use 34 grains of powder. Patched round ball would be good.

To get the bore size just take a set of caliber and it will tell you. Say for instance the diameter is .500 you would want to get some .490 round balls and some .10 thou patches.
The original would have been smooth i suspect.

All your stuff for this gun can be had at the venerable trackofthewolf.com

Cheers, McLean

 

[mooncoon]

I am wondering if the notches are assembly marks. The marks were used to keep all of the components of a single gun together as a group. All that I have seen in the past were concealed out of sight on inner surfaces.

The design is very similar to those used by the East India Company in the late 1700s and early 1800s although the ones that I have seen have been british made

cheers mooncoon

 

[Waterloomike]

Thanks for replies, yes i would like to shoot it Mike, never have, so any ideas on safe powder charge, I am going to disassemble and clean a little , have to figure out what bore size is, bore looks to be smooth-- patched ball ? or a load of rusty nails and ball bearings ? was the actual military pistol smooth bore? To answer your reply Waba, yes it does feel sweet , hold it out grip your wrist with other hand and WoW, It has been displayed probably illegally, in my gun room for about 20 some years so-- yea would be fun to shoot it.

Mooncoon and guys like that know far more than me. I ask them for advice and they've never pointed me wrong.

Go with what they say and you'll be fine.

 

[mrclean89]

I agree with the assembly marks, ive seen several guns in the last year with the same markings. Only the ones ive seen were all marked internally.

Cheers, McLean

 

[Musketfire]

Very nice!!

I like the rounded lock style.

 

[tula]

that pistol was sold by Bannermans its listed in thier 1927 catalog, they sold 1000ds of them across north america, they are Belgian or Dutch, for trade in Africa.

 

[BSA Jack]

Thanks for all the replies: I too have been searching the net here and what I have found is that they do call this pistol a Belgium military pistol , should be 69 or 70 cal smooth bore apparently there is a Belgium Dutch connection. seems like ones with price vary from $1900.00 to about $450.00. Here is a link and a couple of images that are exactly like mine. As you say Tula sold as surplus by Bannermans and as waba says Sears and Roebuck too. I guess if those are assembly marks that's what they are, but I can tell any story Cheers John--- just click on link

http://www.littlegun.be/arme belge/fusils reglementaires/1 1815 pistolet hollando belge gb.htm