Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Here we have a very interesting European .69" caliber short musket, which except for some small proofs on the French-style brass barrel bands and butt cap, is completely unmarked. We took it completely apart, and there was only a crudely marked "arrow" assembly mark on the bottom of the barrel, with none on the smaller parts. The top of the barrel and sight does look to have suffered some peppered oxidation in the past, which with cleaning removed the markings on the rear sight, so we assume if there were any external markings elsewhere, they were removed.

We assume this was made in Liège, Belgium, Austria, or some other European country, but we have not been able to identify it thus far. It is in the standard .69" smoothbore caliber used by France and others for over a century, but it does not really match any type of musket we are familiar with. It has military style fittings with sling swivels, so we assume it was definitely intended for military use, however the firing system is something that we have never seen before.

It is a "capping breech loader", which has is loaded through the breech, but still uses an external percussion cap to ignite the charge. Many U.S. Civil War Era designs utilized this same system, to varying success, and the system on this example most resembles a Sharps breech. It features a brass falling block breech plug, which has a percussion cap nipple cone directly on the rear, which connects to a small channel ending in a dish shaped depression on the breech block. The cone is however directly in the center of the block, and the lock is a "center hammer" design, with the works contained entirely inside the stock.

Even more interesting is that the breech is actuated by a lever that pivots towards the rear, while just about every other capping breech loader uses al ever that pivots towards the front. We took apart the action, and it does not look like anything we have ever seen before, however it is definitely displays a very high level of manufacture. We have considered that it is some unknown prototype or even a project that never saw fruition. The lever uses a push button catch to stay closed, and when pulled rearwards it not only drops the breech block, it also cocks the hammer as well.

There is a spring in the linkage between the lower and upper breech block, which tensions the breech block to make sure it is closed, and also provides tension to keep the operating lever latched. The two parts of the breech block slide up a channel that is brass at the bottom and iron at the top, which helps prevent sticking due to brass being "slippery". There is also a large screw on the right side by the trigger guard, which when removed allows the lever and breech block to be removed from the action for cleaning. We do not see any type of extraction mechanism, but that is not uncommon, as many capping breech loaders used cartridges that were paper or had no rim.

Condition of the short musket is really very good, showing a lovely patina of age. The bore shows little to no use, and the action works great, especially considering it looks to have been completely hand fabricated using some cast components. Both sling swivels move easily, and the original cleaning rod / clearing rod is still present, with worn threads on the end. The rear sight is functional but the markings are no longer present, as noted before. The stock is in lovely condition, with a great old varnished finish, showing no major damage from service. The only real issue we can see is that the lower band spring sticks, so the lower barrel band can slide off somewhat easily.

A lovely 18th century .69" caliber musket of unknown design, ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1840
Caliber: .69"
Cartridge Type: Can and Ball
Barrel Length: 29 3/4 Inches
Overall Length: 45 3/4 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
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. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

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, and are not tested for the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. 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. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.