ID help - Antique Percussion Pistol w/ bayonet

[NeitArms]

Had a coworker pass on a pistol he found while cleaning out his grandfathers belongings. It's a percussion .50 Pistol with spring loaded bayonet. All parts are stamped with a matching "XIIII" and the stock has "30" punched into the wood. There is a hand engraved "C A" on the back strap. There also two proof/house stamps on the underside of the barrel, one the BPC; Birmingham Company Proof and the Birmingham View Mark. So I know it was made between 1813 and 1904 and proofed in England. It also has "R E A ? R S" Scribed into the side plate.

I don't know if the XIII is in reference to a model number or serial. It is obviously an antique and not a repro. My coworker remembers his grandfather firing it once when he was a kid and using too much powder causing a piece of wood under the hammer to break off.

Any idea what this is??


***UPDATE***

From the Birmingham Company Proof House;

Maker - Joseph Reaves, Grices Yard, Sand Street B’Ham 1829-1835.

 

[dingus]

Well its collectable.
the XIII was the guy putting the gun together in the shop in most cases them marks will be on everything to keep everything in order together.
Any old guns with blades like that are worth more than strait pistols.
Im intrested in it if you decide to sell it pm me.

Do reserach lots of it and then more research theres a name on the lock.
Posible its the gun maker or retailer then the guns were taken to a proofhouse in brimingham to be tested stamped.
i was told the old timers would thrust the blade of a gun like that into a dead cat or decaying animal of some sort before a scrape then if the frist shot didnt get you the filthy blade would infect you so bad you would die of the infection. nice eh

 

[Skinny 1950]

It is a very interesting pistol, what a score. The XIIII is not a roman numeral which would be XIV so it must be as suggested to keep all the parts together for assembly.
The name on the lock looks like Rogers to me.

 

[shortandlong]

Had a coworker pass on a pistol he found while cleaning out his grandfathers belongings.

wow !

 

[mooncoon]

the barrel has british proof marks and the XIII is an assembly mark like Dingus said, because when parts were being hardened in batches, it allowed you to keep the parts for each gun separate after case hardening.
The 30 almost looks as if the gun was issued to someone in a group organization although it would not have been military; maybe a police force

cheers mooncoon

 

[NeitArms]

I sent a e-mail off to the Birmingham Company Proof House (Still proofing barrels today) to see if they have any insight. I can't find anything that looks like this model anywhere.

 

[NeitArms]

Just got this back from the Birmingham Company Proof House;

Maker - Joseph Reaves, Grices Yard, Sand Street B’Ham 1829-1835.

No exact date on the date of manufacture but narrowed down to 6 years.

Nice.

 

[tacfoley]

The 'Rogers' on the lockplate could well be the company of F E & H Rogers, famed for cutlery as well as for gun-making.

Jos. Reaves might well be the assembler, having used a lock-plate made by Rogers. The Grice's Yard was a very famous part of the Birmingham gun-makers trade, having been founded in the late 18th century as a worshop by John Grice - he whose name appears on so many brown Bess and similar long arms of the the period.

tac
tac