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LARGE BORE .66 CALIBER 19TH CENTURY OVERCOAT
PISTOL – IMPRESSIVE HEAVY OCTAGON BARREL - PATENT
BREECH: Commonly referred to as an “Overcoat”
or “Traveling” Pistol, this 19TH Century
Percussion Pistol features a truly impressive bore of
.66 caliber. The man who carried this pistol took his
personal security to a whole new level of lethality.
Measuring 7 ˝” long and 1” from flat to flat, the barrel
has a smooth bore which is clear throughout without any
pitting. The barrel retains the original “rebrowned
twist” finish, a term which does not indicate the barrel
was refinished but rather it identifies a finish which
resembles the pattern of a Damascus barrel. The barrel
exterior is overall smooth with only very minor pitting
in isolated spots.
The barrel is mounted with a patent breech with an
engraved tang. The tang is grooved to serve as a rear
sight and the front sight is a silver bead at the top of
the muzzle. The right side of the barrel is mounted
with a silver panel where it abuts the lock, perhaps a
feature to protect this area prone to pit from the
debris from fired percussion caps. The bottom of the
barrel is mounted with a rib and ramrod pipe which holds
the ramrod – the rod probably a later replacement. The
top of the breech end of the barrel has a gold maker's
plate inlay which was never stamped with a maker’s
name.
The lock is fully functional, the hammer holds at both
the half and full cock positions and the trigger let off
is very crisp. The lock plate and hammer are nicely
engraved with a floral pattern and a delicate edging.
The lightly burled walnut stock is in overall excellent
condition, showing only very minor handling marks, and
retains its original finish. The barrel channel edges
are very clean with no splits or wood loss. The grip is
finely checkered in two panels, and the checkering has
survived with distinct diamonds that show only very
minimal wear. The stock is finished with a dark horn
nose cap which is in overall very nice condition, but
does have two small bug holes just below the ramrod
entry port. There is an age crack running from the
front edge of the lock plate to the rear edge of the
nose cap which appears to have happened long ago,
perhaps during the period of use, and it shows no sign
of enlarging or being a weakness. The edges of the
crack are polished smooth through use and the crack
appears very stable. The overall length of the pistol
is 12”.
The wedge plates and wrist escutcheon plate are all made
of silver. The trigger guard is made of steel, and has
an applied spur. The bow and the leading pineapple
finial are engraved with considerable detail.
It is interesting to note that Hanson included pictures
of pistols of this type on pages 410 and 422 in his
Firearms of the Fur Trade and comments that some of
the fur trade companies purchased pistols of this type
to issue to their employees for personal protection at
the frontier trading posts.
This is an attractive, well made pistol that presents as
an impressive handful, and whether discharging a solid
.66 caliber ball, a load of buckshot, or used as a club
thereafter, it would have served as an ample deterrent.
(0716) $1250
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