doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Indian made Double Barrelled Flintlock Shotgun?

James, I talked extensively with Bob back in the late 80s or very early 90s, about locks. He was winding down building them when he agreed to build me a percussion lock. He said people weren't willing to pay for quality. I have that lock in my shop wrapped in the same cosmoline paper he sent it to me in. Still perfect in the white.

The quality is unexcelled in modern times. I have some very good percussion locks by Schillinger, Siler and others but the Roller is like a Swiss watch.

so watt bout the Indian made gons?

https://militaryheritage.com/musket26.htm

II have to be honest never seen one of these Indian made flintlock doubles but I have seen many flint and percussion muskets that are used for historic re enactment. In general they are functionable but they do have some problems though with a bit of effort on the owners part they can be moved up the quality ladder. These are things that I have found on let me say the negative side. The barrels have very thick walls making them heavy also they seem to be struck off with a file so giving surface scratches that are very noticeable. The barrel bore was polished but not to a high finish but that said they went through the proof house and therefore fit for use. The wood used I have no idea what species it was all I can say the overall colour was red and close grained. The lock internals where never polished just left as last filed. The one lock shortcoming is the tumbler has no bridle this putting all the spring force on the lock plate through hole eventually causing the hole to ware oval. Finally the spring pull and the trigger pull was on the high side. Some of the cosmetic improvements that I have seen owners undertake very simple but very worthwhile. The lock side plate changed from steel to brass, stock end cap and barrel side nail escutcheons from steel to brass, with just a few having brass but plates. One or two guns owners had fitted a tumbler bridal and had rollers pitted on the frizzen to the spring.
I have also seen two guns that where made in Pakistan imported from Germany though this was some time back now, They had a high quality of finish they also had recognisable Walnut stocks. I will say that if you dont set your sights to high you should not be disappointed because they work.
Something I should have said in the first part of my post. India has two distinct muzzle loading gun industries the largest one is the one that makes for the Move/Film industry making guns that externally look the part but for all intents and purposes low quality junk. The other side of the industry make usable firearms. Now I am sure that some not so honest dealers try pass the lower grade prop items of as working pieces. Luckily that type of underhand practice can not happen here because of the gun Proof laws meaning every gun sold here the barrel is safe to use but that does not reflect on the total merchantable quality of the firearm.

While I have seen various items from India including some guns and accessories I have never seen any India quality I thought much of.

Including some shirts I had from India

I will say I have seen some beautiful Indian women.

John
Arrieta

I have not seen/handled an Indian made flint of any configuration but would suspect that, for all intents and purposes, they are likely more suitable as a wall hanger than an actual usable shotgun. There was a Keith Casteel sxs flint on guns international perhaps a year ago for $10,000 USD. I have a buddy with an original French sxs flint for sale. It rather large for its size (20GA) which is somewhat typical of French guns. I think he wants $3500CAD but o may be mistaken. I have 2 sxs flints, one, a typical low end 20ga circa 1790ish and a 12ga that I made. Also have a pair of William Smith locks that I was putting together to make another sxs but they are yet incomplete. I also have a set of castings (from TRS iirc) for a matching pair of flint locks tho put together for another sxs. I have a couple nice blanks that I bought years ago from Chris Laubach 3”wide for these two sets of locks but got out of gun building years ago so all this stuff just sits waiting for me to get interested again. Lewis Drake and associates always has some nice quality sxs flints for sale but they only deal in high end merch so while you will get a quality piece, you won’t get it for a song.

I've never seen or held a Pedersoli flintlock, but I do have a fair bit of experience with their percussion guns, and locks. Oddly, trigger pull and lock smoothness on those locks seems to be in direct relation to the amount of torque on the bridle screws, especially the one that holds the sear in place. Loosening that (those) screws a bit does not seem to result in them working too loose, they may held in place by the wood behind the screw head. (It doesn't really make sense, but I haven't gone into a lock on the one I use for sporting clays for several years and several thousand rounds with no problems.)

This doesn't help with handling or heavy barrels at all. I have a couple of Pedersoli's from the 1970's, and they are nice handling guns. The first one I bought came from Cabela's with screw-in chokes, and it was awful!

Not mine but may be interesting
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1063116950

I have been privileged to be the caretaker of a very high quality and condition late double flint for a number of decades. It’s not long till I’ll need to find a new home for it due to my age. It was marketed by W. H. Wilson of London, probably made by Alexander Wilson, late of Joseph Manton.

Take a look at it on this link to the Parker Gun Collectors:

https://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1917&highlight=Wilson

Not quite ready to part with it but soon…..

an this one...

https://www.proxibid.com/Guns-Milit...e-Barrel-Shotgun/lotInformation/88117769