18th CENTURY FLINT MUSKET

18 CENTURY FLINTLOCK MUSKET

SOLD

This is an interesting musket.  The basic style is a British Brown Bess.  The barrel is 42 " and there are 4 ramrod pipes. The ramrod pipes are cast brass and the second one is not the improved design adopted by the British in the late 1770s. The 80 caliber barrel has British commercial proofmarks.  The barrel is pinned as is the triggerguard.  The lock is not British and has a low country look to it.  There is a British Store keepers stamp in the butt with a date that looks to be 1800.  There is a "SP" stamped on the barrel and in the wood behind the trigger guard.  Being stamped on both the barrel and the stock it could be a makers mark.  There were some American muskets stamped SP for state property.  It could be a copy of a Brown Bess produced in Europe.  This came out of an older collection where the collector thought it could be an American made musket.

The condition of the musket is very nice.  The metal has a grey patina with scattered areas of light pitting and staining.  The markings are all readable.  The wood is solid and shows no signs of repairs.  The ramrod looks original.  I have a picture with the lock removed and you can see the inside of the lock and the lock inletting.  Note how the bridle has a lip that extends over the wide part of the lockplate where the pan is.  Note the inletting in the wood for that feature.   

SOLD