44 - English percussion pistol with swivel ramrod and brass mounts, lock “1858 TOWER”

English percussion pistol with swivel ramrod and brass mounts, lock “1858 TOWER” Percussion pistol of British service pattern. Bright round barrel with straight, non-twisted grooves, calibre 14 mm, with front sight near the muzzle; the lock plate behind the hammer with crown above the monogram “VR”, in front of the hammer marked “1858” above “TOWER”, to the right of it the Broad Arrow; hammer with knurled thumb piece. On the barrel the Broad Arrow as property mark of the British Crown, above it a crown above two not reliably legible letters, below “B” above “5” and “B” above “12”, together with a two-digit number. Full stock of walnut with brass fore-end cap, the brass furniture with plain trigger guard and butt cap, on the butt a ring for the lanyard. At the muzzle the swivel with the completely preserved, attached ramrod. Age-appropriate condition, metal parts polished bright, the lock without remains of case hardening, stained and finely pitted, the stock with an open joint next to the lock and a light patch on the fore-end, probably an old repair; mechanism functional. L. 34 cm The marking “TOWER” on the lock plate does not stand for a maker but identifies weapons made by private firms in London and Birmingham and accepted by government inspectors; pieces made at the state factory in Enfield bear “ENFIELD”. The monogram “VR” beneath the crown stands for Victoria Regina and identifies the weapon as property of the Crown; the Broad Arrow is the property mark of the British Crown on equipment of all branches of service. The attached swivel ramrod and the lanyard ring on the butt identify the weapon for mounted service. The pistol is a muzzle-loader with percussion ignition based on a model predating 1871. Under German weapons law, it may be acquired without a licence from the age of 18.