Love the gun, but need help-updated pics

[scratcher]

I think this is a cool find, but I'm not sure what it is. I can't find anything similar on the internet. I'm still sick about nicking it and taking the patina off of one side of the stock. It is cast but I don't know the metal. Not magnetic. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Scratcher

I hope these new pics help.

 

[briankb70]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

awesome gun
sorry i can't help you

 

[stefen]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

Cap pistol?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

Being so small and it looks like pot metal I would guess toy gun. It looks like a rifle with the barrel missing. It looks like it would shoot a muzzleloading cap. Does it have a nipple or is it flat under the hammer? Can you move the hammer?

 

[scratcher]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

It doesn't appear to have a place for a normal blackpowder cap. It doesn't have the normal cap gun striking area either. I'll try to get better pics of that area.

 

[Marc(NB)]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

my opinion is that its a toy petronel .Ive dug one a few years ago,its not like your but its dated back to the 17th century.Awesome find

http://www.colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk/toycannons.htm

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

Is it brass?

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

wow that's cool. It appears maybe it wasn't even funtional as a cap gun at all. Top of a letter opener or something of that nature. Although, now that I look closer it seems to have been functional so, you got me bud.

 

[scratcher]

Re: Love the gun, but need help

It appears that the hammer did lift and fire. What interests me most is the crossed flags above the drum with a tomahawk or hatchet of some sort on one side, and what appears to be an indian on the other. I'm not sure of the metal. I'll try to get more pics up shortly.

New pics added

 

[scratcher]

Any input with the new pics?

 

[johnnyi]

There seem top be crossed flags on the stock. Can you make out if one of them is similar to an American flag?

 

[silverswede]

Did a little search under antique cap guns and come up with this one. Not a match for sure but seems to be of a similiar design and function. I had old cap pistols as a youngster that fired individual cap that you had to tear off the roll that the more advanced ones used.

 

[johnnyi]

silverwede, your little gun fired a pin fired blank, not a cap. I remember these being for sale in the 60's. The cap gun of scratcher's is much older.

 

[TiredIron]

Silverwede,
Click on this link and scroll to the bottom of the page....
http://www.cyruskemp.com/berloques/berloques8.html

TiredIron

 

[pegleglooker]

bump

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Can we see better pics of the stocK? I have seen that drum and crossed flags somewhere before.

 

[johnnyi]

Scratcher, I think this is basically the same mechanism of your's (cap gun) which may help you date your's a little better. That is an American flag on the stock by the way. It is a very neat little cap gun. http://images.google.com/imgres?img...que+cap+gun&ndsp=21&hl=en&sa=N&start=441&um=1

 

[scratcher]

Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate the time locating the pictures. I too had wondered if there was another barrel piece missing BCH, but couldn't figure why they would bother casting it in two pieces. Maybe it could be based on the 'boot guns' of the times? I read that cap guns may have started in the mid 1850's and figured this may be one of those very early examples due to the images cast on the stock. If it is indeed an indian on one side, could the crossed flags, drum, and axe be representative of the indian conflicts of that time and before? Thanks for the help so far.

P.S. Johnnyi, how can you tell it's an American flag? Thanks in advance.

Scratcher

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Im still thinking I have seen that crossed flags and drum here on TN before.

 

[BuckleBoy]

If it is a petronel, it would be worth sending it in to a restorer to have the patina touched up. It'll look like it was never nicked. What type of site did you find it at?

I haven't ever seen anything like it before, but I wanted to reply so that I can stay up-to-date on any new information to this thread.


Best Wishes,



Buckles