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VERY RARE ORIGINAL. British, Pre Land Pattern, Dog Lock Musket circa 1720, with Grenade Launching Reinforcing Ring & Museum Quality Discharger Cup. Sn - 22768 This is an exceptionally rare British Pre Land Pattern George I era, circa 1720, English Dog Lock musket, with many features dating to 1720. In 1720, the dog lock was replaced by the flintlock. This musket was superseded by the Pattern 1730 Brown Bess Musket which was the very first pattern of Brown Bess initially known as the King's Pattern musket. These guns were originally designed with a combination of Dutch musket, sporting guns and French muskets. These series of weapons were developed before 1720, often having iron furniture with a flat contour, screwed onto the stock which was slowly replaced to brass furniture becoming semi inletted onto the stock which became the norm by 1730. The dog lock lockplate is banana shaped with a pronounced curve towards the tail of the lockplate. The stock is swelled at the tailpipe to afford a better grip. The jaws of the ring necked cock are of a circular form and top of the frizzen is flat in the continental style. The lock plate was double lined after the first 5 years of production, dating the musket to pre 1720. The musket appears to be a transitional type and has features of the 1720 and pre 1720s pattern muskets. The inside of the lockplate has a flat mainspring with a simple hooked end over the bridle. The musket is fitted with brass furniture which includes an early pattern flat brass butt plate fitted to the flat comb, a rounded side plate and trigger guard, with a bevelled lockplate fitted with a dog safety catch. There are old gunsmiths marks stamped into the trigger guard LG, the lockplate MB and the sidenail NWH 57 (inlet) and the number 1. The musket is fitted with 3 brass ram rod pipes, octagonal in profile with turned baluster ends. The brass nose cap fitted under the reinforcing ring which is held in by an iron cross pin. The musket has a barrel length of 37 inches and is fitted with an iron collar 3 ¼ inches from the muzzle with a locking slot in the side. This serves a recoil shield for a grenade launcher. Grenade launchers are a separate item and are seldom seen. There is a steel museum quality copy of a grenade launcher fitted to the musket with a locking lug which engages in the slot of the recoil ring. The length of the musket is 52 inches and is fitted with a heavy iron domed and swelled head ramrod. The bore is smooth with just the normal staining and wear from use. The woodwork has the usual bumps and knocks from its long service, especially as a grenade launcher. See British Military Longarm, 1715 – 1815 by D.W. Bailey pages 13, 14, 15, 20 and photographs on page 21 which describe the Pre Land Pattern muskets. NB This is an antique weapon, no licence is required to own this musket in the UK if retained as a part of a collection or display. Sn 22768 £5,950.00
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