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

Woodland Detectors

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Nov 23, 2008
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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

ModernMiner

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

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:
 

VOL1266-X

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

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.
 

watercolor

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Feb 3, 2007
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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

WOW!! You recovered some great stuff there. . . the boot pistol is awesome :thumbsup:
 

OP
OP
Woodland Detectors

Woodland Detectors

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

Hey thanks guys for the votes on banner.
I still can't believe I found it~

Dman,
I remember Q's articles in Tiger Beat, GQ, Cowsmopolitan, Farmers Almanac, and Goat Herders Weekly, but what was the 5th one?

Because I must deal with you two, It was an article in "Morons Weekly"


:laughing9: :laughing9: :laughing9: :laughing9:
 

MUD(S.W.A.T)

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Apr 15, 2005
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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Great finds, outstanding !! :icon_thumleft: :headbang:

Keep @ It and HH !! ;D :D
 

Blind Squirrel

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Apr 15, 2010
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Re: Single shot percussion "boot pistol" from the 1830's period

Great group of finds there Mike :headbang: Congrats :icon_thumleft:
 

RGINN

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

Well, I managed to find...my way to the bathroom yesterday. Rascal!! Excellent hunt! Congrats. I'll vote banner on the boot pistol, but maybe a little better pic and more info on it too for us that don't know much about that sort of thing.
 

OP
OP
Woodland Detectors

Woodland Detectors

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

RGINN said:
Well, I managed to find...my way to the bathroom yesterday. Rascal!! Excellent hunt! Congrats. I'll vote banner on the boot pistol, but maybe a little better pic and more info on it too for us that don't know much about that sort of thing.
You got it.

Thanks buddy. I don't see you too often over here.
Thanks for the vote!
 

Deepdiger60

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

4-H said:
RGINN said:
Well, I managed to find...my way to the bathroom yesterday. Rascal!! Excellent hunt! Congrats. I'll vote banner on the boot pistol, but maybe a little better pic and more info on it too for us that don't know much about that sort of thing.
You got it.


Thanks buddy. I don't see you too often over here.
Thanks for the vote!
As i thought Mike that square copper button has the figure of Marc Antony of Rome:thumbsup: nice find
 

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pepperj

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

Nice going on the pistol and the silver. :icon_thumright:
 

Dman

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

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.
 

Stray Cat...

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

Very well written, might pay ya to do the same for my postings!!! Great finds too!!!
 

lidigger

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

That's some really great find you got yourself.
 

Mr Tuff

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

sweet finds!!!!!! :o :o :o :o MR TUFF
 

birdman

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

Man ,what an awesome hunt!!
 

Tnmountains

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

Man that is a fine recovery of that pistol frame. Old Silver and angry lead and a 10,000 to 7,000 year old Big Sandy arrowhead(looks like). Geeez..There has to be some time frame in there you have missed?
Nice finds 4-H. Maybe the buck was an omen?
TnMtns
 

rocko dogg

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

great finds 4-H ive been researching the town of mortimer nc it was a boom town til 40 flood we need to hit it this winter. ps check it out on google
 

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