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**SUPERB**EXTREMELY RARE**C1780 Brace Of Matching 1 To 8 Numbered Barrels English Waters (Birmingham) 32 Bore Ship’s Sea Captain’s Duck's Foot Flintlock Volley Pistols With Screw Off Cannon Barrels & Intricate Silver Wire Inlaid Decoration. Sn 22583:4 - 22583:4 Duck's foot pistols, also known as volley pistols, are a type of firearm with multiple barrels arranged to resemble a duck's foot. They were primarily used in situations where a single person needed to quickly and forcefully engage a larger group of opponents. These pistols gained popularity among sea captains in the flintlock era to subdue or repel mutinous crews or pirates. Captains would usually carry a brace of these weapons. Duck’s foot pistols owed much of their effectiveness to psychology. Mobs were rarely armed with firearms, and their offensive capability was based on size, backed up with knives, cudgels, and cobblestones. Consequently, a man wielding an impressive multi-barrelled handgun had an intimidatory effect. There was always a chance that the same man armed with a single-shot pistol might miss; the duck’s foot was a different matter, and there were likely to be multiple casualties, nobody wanted to be one of them. John Waters was an English Birmingham gunmaker recorded as working 1766 to 1788, he later went into partnership with Thomas Gill who started in Birmingham and worked in London, c.1780-1800 see Howard L. Blackmore (1986) Gunmakers Of London, 1350-1850 (internet sources). This fine pair of extremely rare to find and desirable Duck’s foot pistol’s as used by Sea Ship’s Captains by Waters (most likely John). The matching pistols are each 9” overall with Four 2 ¾” turn off cannon barrels. One pistols barrels and breeches are numbered 1,2,3 & 4, the other pistol’s barrels and breeches are consecutively numbered ‘5,6,7& 8. The underside of each pistols actions at the breech have English proofs. The smoothbores of each barrel on both pistols have just light staining consistent with age. The actions and trigger guards of both pistols have foliate engraved decoration. One side of each action are signed by the maker with marching signatures ‘Waters’. The pistols cocks are each fitted with flints. The metal work of both pistols is clean and their cocking and firing actions are crisp. The undamaged walnut stocks of each pistol have beautiful inlaid scrolling wire decoration, all wire is present and intact. The butts of both pistols have Grotesque head silver caps. The price for these superb rare matching 4 barrel Duck’s foot flintlocks includes UK delivery. NB No licence is required to own these antique flintlock pistols in the UK if retained as part of a collection or display. Sn 22583:4 (in public cabinet)
£27,500.00
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