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can you id this flintlock?
- Thread starter infoseek
- Start date
Can't help with the ID but
Welcome to the dance.
When I was in the Navy, I remember seeing pistols of similar character in little shops mostly in Italy but possibly also in Majorca, Spain. They were of about the same appearance as your pistol. They were manufactured recently to look collectable. Price tag was always very low. I was given to understand that the pistols were made in places like Pakistan. That could be entirely wrong.
But the specimen you show appears to be different enough from the ones that I examined (20 years ago) that yours may be of entirely different origin and much much older vintage.
Welcome to the dance.
When I was in the Navy, I remember seeing pistols of similar character in little shops mostly in Italy but possibly also in Majorca, Spain. They were of about the same appearance as your pistol. They were manufactured recently to look collectable. Price tag was always very low. I was given to understand that the pistols were made in places like Pakistan. That could be entirely wrong.
But the specimen you show appears to be different enough from the ones that I examined (20 years ago) that yours may be of entirely different origin and much much older vintage.
While I am certainly no expert, and therefore probably not much help, I think that Doc is on the right track with the Mideastern style. The shape of the barrel and scrollwork seem to be reminiscent of guns from the Indian subcontinent area. I remember seeing pics of rifles from that area with similar design features.
Let me hasten to add
I have not had the opportunity to examine the pistol close up and even if I did, I am not an expert at dating pistols.
This pistol may actually have a very rich heritage and the photos just don't do it justice, even though they are quire good. It is certainly an interesting piece.
The ones that I saw were being sold (by the shop keeper(s) I can remember) with no intention of trying to make anyone believe they were old or valuable. I would not have felt comfortable trying to fire anything I saw in those shops. And my experience is twenty years old.
I have a pistol that my father brought back from WWII in the Asian Theater. (India and China) It is a dead ringer for a small frame Smith and Wesson. Five shot, .41 caliber. The markings and the internal finishing of the parts give it away as a fake. After seventy years, the bluing is very very good, but the pistol itself is falling apart. I think it was never shootable. He traded a carton of cigarettes for it. He said he thought it was made by a one armed Hindu with a machete.
I have not had the opportunity to examine the pistol close up and even if I did, I am not an expert at dating pistols.
This pistol may actually have a very rich heritage and the photos just don't do it justice, even though they are quire good. It is certainly an interesting piece.
The ones that I saw were being sold (by the shop keeper(s) I can remember) with no intention of trying to make anyone believe they were old or valuable. I would not have felt comfortable trying to fire anything I saw in those shops. And my experience is twenty years old.
I have a pistol that my father brought back from WWII in the Asian Theater. (India and China) It is a dead ringer for a small frame Smith and Wesson. Five shot, .41 caliber. The markings and the internal finishing of the parts give it away as a fake. After seventy years, the bluing is very very good, but the pistol itself is falling apart. I think it was never shootable. He traded a carton of cigarettes for it. He said he thought it was made by a one armed Hindu with a machete.
Last edited:
Rifleman1776
New member
I'm with the others, mideastern made for tourist market. It is very crudely made certainly not a presentation item for some sultan. Conversation piece at best.