Early 19th Century Tower Proofed Flintlock Blunderbuss
A very attractive English brass barrelled Blunderbuss with a clean lock signed Williams and Powell that has a lovely dark patina.
The polished heavy brass barrel is nicely flared and marked with the Private Tower Proof Marks.
The trigger guard, sideplate and buttcap are also of polished brass.
The mainspring is strong and the action is crisp in both half and full position.
There is a large blank brass escutcheon at the shoulder of the stock.
The woodwork is showing a couple of cracks but is in good condition, and has received some restoration work featuring some infill repair section at the butt and shoulder. There is no aged colouration as the surface has been stripped back to reveal the woods grain pattern. This overall "clean" finish is in no doubt attractive but shows no aged patina.
The brass tipped steel ramrod sits smoothly in place and is a modern replacement.
Kept and used by Coachmen, Gamekeepers and simply for defending ones home, this type of firearm was very popular from the mid 18th Century up until the mid 19th Century.
As to Williams & Powell I can only find a reference from Liverpool who went into Partnership in 1833 which really is at the tail end of not only Blunderbuss popularity, but flintlock manufacture as well. It is of course possible that this is another Williams & Powell as everything about this piece "feels" earlier than that.
One thing is for sure, this is a nice "tight" example of a very popular firearm of the late 18th and Early 19th Centuries.
Barrel length 30.5cm, Overall length 70cm.
This antique pistol is considered obsolete and non functioning, and is sold as a collectable ornamental item. This product is available for purchase in the UK without a license
