Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1850s period

Woodland Detectors

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Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1850's period

:hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :headbang:

This is one of my better CW relics for our collection to be donated soon!
I still can't believe this.

I set off in the early AM hours Tuesday to see if I could dig a few Civil War relics where I have found both Union and Confederate items in the past. Have you ever had those days where you don't just feel like detecting AFTER you drove a good distance? Yeah, it started like that. It was rough around the ole house after Tennessee took a whoopen from the Gators last weekend. :laughing9: Maggie loves college football, and her team is the TN. Volunteers. :D Having went to school there and graduating with 2 degrees, she will tell you blood pumps orange in her veins. :D

So, Just on the outside of the North Carolina border into South Carolina, I drove to one of last years favorite fields. The corn that was standing had just been cut recently, so I was pretty stoked in anticipation of what the day might bring. Yawning and groggy still, I attached my gear, chose my coil to start with and sipping the remainder of the coffee from my old Coleman thermos. As I watched in awe, the neon red glow of the sun just coming up, burning the fog, and warming my face, giving me a good feeling and the pep needed to start hunting. I noticed in the corner of the field, a real nice Whitetail buck who had obviously been scoping me out for quite a while. As we stared at each other for a minute or so, he wiggled his white flag tail, put his head down, and continued grazing, as if he knew I wasn't there to harm him or fill my freezer that day. :D I pressed the power on the new GPX5000 I did a quick noise cancel and ground balance and started to rhythmically sweep the dirt, listening to the symphony of musical tones bouncing around my Grey Ghost NDT's . It wasn't long before I got my first real good solid tone, that I dug a really interesting looking roman button/attachment. I slipped it in my keepers side of my Orvis fishing vest and continued on. After digging several civilian buttons and some dropped and fired lead, I got this tone, this really, really sweet tone. I thought, "whoa, what is this?" As I carefully dug my plug from the hard red S.C clay, a strange brass object laid right at the bottom. I couldn't believe what I was looking at, or what I had thought I was looking at. I thought, " Man, that looks like a gun barrel" "Could it be"? I gently put it soft side of my finds vest and continued on gridding. It was so hard to concentrate , I couldn't stand it any more. I shut down the Etrac, and took the miniature cannon looking object out and observed it a little more closely. I thought again, "oh man, I think this is a boot pistol!!" Still, reluctant to take my clothes of and do cart wheels in my very religious farming buddies field, :laughing9: I thought, "how can I get this ID'd out here?" I thought of calling my wife Maggie, but I knew she was out of the office. One name came to mind, Quindy, Vol1226-X I called up my Tennesee buddy, and after us two "old schoolers" figured out how to send a picture off the phone, I snapped a couple, and sent them in to Quin. Of course I did it wrong, and they never got there, thank God, because if I would have donr the cartwheels I spoke of earlier, I probably wouldn't be welcome there again... EVER! :laughing9: Just kidding of course. So When I got home I sent some pics via internet to Sir Quindy, the I.D expert. It wasn't long at all when Quin called me and authenticated it was indeed a Boot Pistol! :hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :headbang: This is such a historic find for the American Civil War archives and enthusiast's. A pistol, from a fallen soldier, seriously? fighting for his side of the woods. The pistol would have been used as a back up fire arm. Maybe he was using it when he fell. :-\ If this doesn't send you imagination into a frenzy, nothing will. This is an artifact all of us passionate American, Military relic hunters dream about.
I'm proud to say that this and other relics like it will, be donated to a museum in the area it was found, so history can be taught, remembered accurately.


Other finds were a full, intact 1781 Carolus lll Reale!! :hello2: Last week I dug a cut version. This one is in fantastic shape. Another find was an 1808 Sheldon American large cent. Looks like the rare version from what I can see of the back!
Lead pistol and rifle rounds, buttons and a real nice American Native broad head point.

The pistol is a single shot percussion boot pistol from 1852-55 it is a Leige.

Thanks Quindy and Buckleboy for your help on the ID!


Thank you for looking
Mike Post
 

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Upvote 4

steelheadwill

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

WhooWee!!
Spectacular!!
 

Dman

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Feb 10, 2006
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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

4-H said:
Dman said:
VOL1266-X said:
ModernMiner said:
Dman said:
Q really knows his stuff but don't tell him I said it. He already has he head too big after getting articles published in 4 or 5 magazines.
Dman

Dman,
I remember Q's articles in Tiger Beat, GQ, Cowsmopolitan, Farmers Almanac, and Goat Herders Weekly, but what was the 5th one? :icon_scratch: :laughing9:
Because I must deal with you two, It was an article in "Morons Weekly". HH, Quindy.
Yeah! Q wrote an autobiography. It's time for us morons to take back this country. The trouble is we don't know how. Besides, Q has to take me metal detecting next week. Next week is take a moron metal detecting week.
LMAO! Hahahaha!
So does he tune your machine and dig your targets too?
No, he taught me to walk behind him and detect so I can get the relics he misses. Also he says there are land mines every place we go so I have to be careful and follow in his footsteps. He usually finds a lot of relics this way and I don't find many but I make it back to the truck safe.
 

OP
OP
Woodland Detectors

Woodland Detectors

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Nov 23, 2008
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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Dman said:
4-H said:
Dman said:
VOL1266-X said:
ModernMiner said:
Dman said:
Q really knows his stuff but don't tell him I said it. He already has he head too big after getting articles published in 4 or 5 magazines.
Dman

Dman,
I remember Q's articles in Tiger Beat, GQ, Cowsmopolitan, Farmers Almanac, and Goat Herders Weekly, but what was the 5th one? :icon_scratch: :laughing9:
Because I must deal with you two, It was an article in "Morons Weekly". HH, Quindy.
Yeah! Q wrote an autobiography. It's time for us morons to take back this country. The trouble is we don't know how. Besides, Q has to take me metal detecting next week. Next week is take a moron metal detecting week.
LMAO! Hahahaha!
So does he tune your machine and dig your targets too?
No, he taught me to walk behind him and detect so I can get the relics he misses. Also he says there are land mines every place we go so I have to be careful and follow in his footsteps. He usually finds a lot of relics this way and I don't find many but I make it back to the truck safe.
Hahahahaha!
Landmines.....That kills me!
 

Deepdiger60

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

hey congrats on making the Banner :headbang: i knew that was going up there Jim
 

U

umrgolf

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

congrats 4-H :headbang: :headbang:
 

VOL1266-X

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Jan 10, 2007
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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

A BIG CONGRATS on your 2nd BANNER Mike. HH, Quindy.
 

treasurehound

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Way to go Mike. Congrats on second banner. You really deserved it. Talk to you soon.
 

BuckleBoy

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

I've gotta hunt harder now that you're catching up on the Banner appearances. ;D

Congratulations, my friend. :thumbsup:

Again--are you sure that the gun isn't a Liege?
 

OutBack Duo

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Congratulations on making the Banner!!! :headbang:
 

AGCoinHunter

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Aug 13, 2009
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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Great finds and congrats on the banner.

If I every hear "Rocky Top" again it will be one time to many.
 

OP
OP
Woodland Detectors

Woodland Detectors

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

BuckleBoy said:
I've gotta hunt harder now that you're catching up on the Banner appearances. ;D

Congratulations, my friend. :thumbsup:

Again--are you sure that the gun isn't a Liege?
Thank you Will.

Oh your way ahead buddy. Always will be.

Mike, Maggie and Sammie
 

Bavaria Mike

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Nice boot pistol and other relics! I hope you searched the area for the rest of the pistol mechanism. HH, Mike
 

OP
OP
Woodland Detectors

Woodland Detectors

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Bavaria Mike said:
Nice boot pistol and other relics! I hope you searched the area for the rest of the pistol mechanism. HH, Mike
Thanks everyone,
Hi Mike,
Thanks man.
Yeah, that's next week. It was so hot that day, I put Iron on ignore when it hit 90 degrees! It's certainly there, I would think. I'll post it when I find it. Here's another mystery, 20 yards from the pistol. I dug a brass ramrod channel....Percussion pistols don't have ramrod channels....you feel me? :D
 

47thelement

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

That is how it is done folks.
 

JerV3

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

That is a awesome relic man. I love finds like that.

HH Jer
 

colorado14ers

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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

wow!!!!!! amazing find my friend ;D :headbang: :headbang:. congrats on the banner !!!!!!!!!!!! That site is very productive!
 

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