Late 1700’s – Early 1800’s Naval flintlock pistol

Description

Excellent condition Late 1700’s – Early 1800’s Belgian (liege) Naval flintlock pistol.

This type of Pistol was manufactured in Belgium, which was under Napoleon Bonaparte’s control until 1814. Production continued after the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and very possibly into the 1820’s. Belgium was an Industrial powerhouse, with its great capacity coming from the City of Liège, where gun making was a key industry, and would end up supplying Military Weapons all over Europe after Belgian Independence in 1830.

There is no provision for ramrod, the mounts are all of brass and the grade of manufacture is really quite high. Probably one of the most encountered original flintlock martial pistols from Europe encountered to day. There are few maker markings on the gun, except for Liege proof (ELG*) on barrel, indicating it was proofed at arsenal there before being dispersed into service.

The pistol is fitted with a 9″ barrel showing no markings whatsoever. Its overall length is almost 16″ and has a large steel lanyard ring on the bottom of the brass mounted butt cap. All the mounts are brass and the overall condition is really nice. The stock does show wear overall from service, with many scratches and small dents, however there are no cracks or repairs we can see. The lock is fully functional, holding correctly at half cock and firing at full. These were purchased by many navies around the world, and were also mandated for use by captains and cargo vessels by insurance companies at the time.