Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is awe inspiring, being so massive and all original, including the ancient worm holes! Until not so many years ago it did hang in a Scottish Castle, but was liberated in the 1990s. Rampart Guns, often called Wall guns, were large caliber smooth-bore muskets that were used in the 16th through 18th centuries by defending forces to break the advance of enemy troops. They were too heavy to be fired from the shoulder and so were usually rested on window ledges or low walls on fortified ramparts surrounding forts and castles, hence the names.
This substantial flintlock rampart gun weighs in at about 37 lbs, so heavy that company director Christian Cranmer can hardly pick it up, even though he is only about 75 years old. It has a 54 1/2" Barrel in approximately 5 BORE (15/16 inch), and the huge lock measures 9 1/4" in length. The gun is all brass mounted with Brown Bess style furniture of massive size. It has a plain escutcheon/thumb plate and three brass ramrod pipes. It also still retains its very substantial oversized steel ramrod, so often lost over the years.
The lock is engraved with TOWER across the tail and CROWN over G.R. together with an “Lock Viewer’s” inspector stamping. The breech end of the barrel has additional proof marks, including another CROWN over GR, as well as the “Crossed Scepters” of Birmingham. There are some other markings on the breech’s left side, which are unfortunately not fully legible.
The weapon still retains its original Horse Shoe type swivel mount with a large post, designed to sit in a mounting hole on a castle’s rampart or ship's side. These very big weapons saw much use in the Royal Navy and on fortifications in North America, especially during the French and Indian Wars. For this example made after 1772, it also could have seen service in the Revolutionary War.
The gun presents very attractively and as stated earlier displays ancient woodworm damage, which appears totally stabilized. It gives the feeling of really having been in service. We checked the lock, and it holds correctly at half cock, firing at full. Very impressive, probably one of the LARGEST BROWN BESS Muskets ever made.
Ready to display in any Collection, if you have the room!
PLEASE NOTE: We have photographed this Wall Gun next to its contemporary 62 Inch Long Model P-1730 Brown Bess Musket carried by the Infantry of the day, to show the immense size of this Wall Gun. The Musket is NOT included in this offering and is shown only for comparison. (It is available separately).
Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: circa 1772
Caliber: about .96 inches (5 Bore)
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 54 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 73 inches
Action: Flintlock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded
NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.
- This product is available for international shipping.
IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.
These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers". Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
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