Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely Spanish Overcoat pistol from the early 19th century, made with a traditional MIQUELET lock, a predecessor / alternative to the standard flint lock design in use throughout most of Europe. It is quite well decorated, with engraving on almost all of the iron fittings. The barrel is held in place with the usual wedge through brass escutcheons.

Measuring about 9 1/2 inches in overall length, the barrel is 5 inches long and half-octagonal, with a bore of about .75 of an inch. It bears Spanish touch marks on the breech end of the barrel, next to some love silver inlays on the top of the barrel. The area where the barrel transitions to round is quite decorated. The pistol looks to have had a belt hook on the left hand side, which has since been removed.

The pistol comes complete with an iron ramrod, and in very nice condition overall. There is some overall rust peppering and light pitting to the metalwork, but the stock is in great shape, with very nice checkering on the grip. The miquelet lock has a functional half cock position, which is linked to the trigger. The lock fires from full cock.

A very nice example of an obsolete firing system, still in use into the 19th century. Ready to display!

History of the Miquelet Lock:
Miquelet lock is a modern term used by collectors and curators, largely in the English-speaking world, for a type of firing mechanism used in muskets and pistols. It is a distinctive form of snaplock, originally as a flint-against-steel ignition form, once prevalent in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Balkans, North Africa, Ottoman Empire and throughout Spain's colonies from the late 16th to the mid 19th centuries. Later they were seen in percussion form, either as originally produced, or converted.

The term miquelet lock was not recorded until the 19th century, long after the appearance of the mechanism in the 16th century, and is of uncertain origin. One commonly held view is that it was coined by British troops in the Peninsular War to describe the style of musket used by the Miquelet (militia) that had been assigned to the Peninsular Army of the Duke of Wellington.

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: c. 1830
Caliber: approx. .75" Pistol
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Overall Length: 9 1/2 inches
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Action: Miquelet Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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