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WONDERFUL 19TH CENTURY MUSKET
SHOWING STRONG EVIDENCE OF INDIAN OWNERSHIP AND USE –
OLD HEAVILY WORN BRASS TACKS – NATIVE REPAIRS – ALL THE
FEATURES OF A TRULY GREAT INDIAN GUN:
At first glance, this mid-19Th Century
Musket speaks volumes of its time on the frontier in the
hands of a Native American. The overall appearance
including heavy wear, brass tacks, excellent patina,
primitive but effective repairs, and that special “feel”
these genuine Indian guns have, speaks volumes this
musket is indeed, as very special piece.
There are no
visible lock or barrel markings to definitively identify
this musket or the country in which it was
manufactured. There are probably proof marks on the
bottom of the barrel which would provide additional
information, but as noted further on in the description,
removing the barrel is not an option. From the various
characteristics such as the stock profile, lock, and
length and weight of the barrel, I suspect the musket
may very well be one those produced in Belgium, France
or the Netherlands as “second class” military muskets,
intended for sale to other than the major world military
powers, and would be the type of inexpensive muskets
purchased by traders to market to Indians on the western
frontier. It is also worthy to note that muskets of
this type were also supplied to militia or provincial
guard units in Mexico during its occupation by the
French, and were lost to Indians during pitched battles
with such tribes as the Comanche and Apaches as they
raided the target rich environment of Northern Mexico.
The stock
shows the desirable heavy wear one expects to see in an
Indian gun, without being fragile or in relic condition,
and the wood has a wonderful aged, hand rubbed feel and
very nice coloring. The wear is apparent where one
would expect to find it on the high edges of the barrel
and ramrod channels, the upper point of the butt, the
wrist and in particular, between the middle and lower
barrel bands, and between the middle and upper bands,
where the musket would have rested across the neck of
horse or the pommel of a saddle. The wear along these
two sections of the stock is so pronounced that not only
is the wood worn and polished below its normal profile,
but the brass heads of the tacks are worn away,
significantly reducing the diameter and height of the
heads.
The section of
the stock forward and below the lock was badly broken as
would happen if the fore end and barrel were flexed
against the grain of the butt section as the result of a
fall or a really bad wreck on a horse (…..as if there is
such a thing as a good wreck on a horse, but I
digress.) The stock was repaired by setting a thin,
hand carved wood splint on the underside of the stock,
pinning it in place with some small nails, and
reinforced by a single wrapping of a double strand of
thin iron wire. The area of the break is very sound and
only has a slight movement when pressure is applied. It
is interesting to note that the large splinters that
broke out on the left side of the stock were retained
and set back in place under the wire wrap in an effort
to keep as much wood as possible to support that area of
the stock. All of the pieces of wood are well polished
through handling over the years, and are certainly
period to the use of the musket. Further, the wood
under the wire wrap is stained in a thin line where the
corrosion of the wire colored the wood which serves as
additional proof of the age of this repair.
The stock is nicely tacked, obviously done during the
period of use in the 19Th Century. The tacks
are applied in designs on both sides of the butt stock,
and in lines surrounding the wrist, the left side flat
opposite the lock, along the bottom of the butt which
continues up to surround the trigger guard, and in small
concentrations along the fore stock. The tacks are a
mix of solid brass and brass head-iron shanked tacks,
and all show evidence of having been in the wood for a
very long time. There is consistent heavy wear to the
brass heads, some to the point that the heads are worn
down to less than 25% of their original size. This wear
has occurred gradually over a long period of time shown
by the original imprint of the tack head rim that is
still visible in the wood, and the wood that was
protected over time by the head of the tack stands above
the surrounding wood that was not protected. Some of
the tacks are worn to the point that the heads now
consist of a small halo of brass around the iron
shank. Those tacks showing the heaviest wear are
located on the portions of the stock that would receive
the most handling and abrasion, so the wear patterns are
consistent with true use and not some attempt at
fakery. The wood around all of the tacks is worn
significantly more than the wood that is protected by
the tack heads, and the edges of the tacks appear to be
imbedded in the wood, evidence that the wood has swollen
around the edge of the tack heads. This is one of the
characteristics that knowledgeable collectors look for
to determine if the tacks have been recently applied.
Where the few tacks are
missing, the wood that was beneath the tack heads shows
appropriate coloring and the imprint of the tack head.
This is not a recently tacked gun where someone
attempted to “sweeten” an old, worn out musket, rather
these tacks were certainly applied during the period of
the rifle’s use and show the same wear and character as
the rest of the musket.
In addition to
the tacks, the left side of the butt stock, just forward
of the butt plate, was decorated with a pictograph line
image carved into the wood. What it represents is lost
to history with the passing of the Indian who carved it,
and is now left to our imagination, but it is definitely
intentionally executed and not a collection of aimless
or accidental scratches. There is also two sets of
numbers stamped forward of this carving that are likely
evidence of this musket’s former life as part of a
military unit’s inventory before passing into the hands
of the Indians.
The lock and
trigger assembly are functional, operate properly, and
here again, incorporate another example of the Indian’s
ingenuity and ability to adapt available parts to repair
their arms. At some point during the period when this
musket was still in constant use and deemed valuable
enough by the owner to repair it, the threaded nipple
hole in the bolster must have been shot out to the point
it would not hold the nipple, or the nipple was damaged
and the owner could not find a replacement that would
fit the threaded hole. Not a problem – he simply
hammered a nipple, cone first, into the hole and shaped
the threaded section that would normally be screwed into
the barrel to a size that would accept the percussion
caps. A primitive fix, and one that may well have
resulted in some exciting ignitions, but based on the
wear of the existing nipple, it must have been one that
functioned quite well for some time.
The musket has
an overall length of 54”, with a barrel measuring 39”,
which is from all appearances full length. The wall of
the barrel at the muzzle is quite thin, evidence of long
term use and wear, and measures approximately .75
caliber – another indication of this being a European
musket. Stamped on the top left flat of the barrel at
the breech is the legend “C F (or P) 6005”. What the
significance or meaning of this stamping is unknown, but
it may date back to when the musket was still in a
military unit’s possession and this was a unit applied
inventory number. There is a small square section of
the top of the barrel missing at the muzzle, perhaps
where the bayonet stud was located, and was broken off
in some unknown mishap. The rear sight is gone, the
point where it was attached still visible, however the
twist of the wire holding the stock repair just forward
of the lock projects vertically from the plane of the
barrel and is positioned at the point where the original
rear sight was set and is aligned with the top center
line of the barrel – an awkward spot for carrying the
musket as it seems it would catch on your hand.
However, this twist of wire, when viewed down the barrel
as you shoulder this musket, is positioned in such a way
that it serves fairly well as what could pass for a rear
sight. Not the best, and there is no front sight to
align with the twist, but in the absence of any other
sights….well, I leave it to you to decide.
The iron
surfaces of the lock, hammer, trigger guard, butt plate,
barrel bands and the breech area of the barrel all have
the same brown surface – not encrusted with rust, but
lightly pitted and with a nice even color. The balance
of the barrel has the remains of a coat of black paint;
a treatment that has been noted on a significant number
of Indian used guns and is well documented in such
recognized references such as “Custer Battle Guns” by
John DuMont. Around the bases of the tacks can be seen
traces of the same black paint, so it appears the stock
was painted as well – perhaps the entire gun – but with
handling through the years, the majority of paint has
worn off of the stock.
While the butt
plate is present, the heel of the plate is completely
worn away; leaving two separate pieces of the butt
plate, and this wear extends down into the wood. The
flat of the butt plate is held in place by the original
lower screw and a single iron nail on the upper end, and
the butt plate tang is held in place by the original
screw.
This musket
shows all of the classic characteristics of hard use and
decoration in the hands of an Indian, having a great
appearance that literally talks to you as you hold it,
and is no doubt a veteran of fierce determined and
desperate battles, and untold numbers of buffalo kills
in the hands of a warrior.
Guns that have not been
sullied or ruined by the recent addition of 1950’s
upholstery tacks, modern leather wrappings and other
enhancements have never been common, and as more
collectors are recognizing their historic value, genuine
Indian guns of this quality are now becoming
increasingly difficult to find on the market. This is
an opportunity to obtain an honest Indian gun that has
not been tampered with since the day it passed from the
Indians into that first collection.
If you hesitate, and
miss this one, for many years to come you will regret it
as the one that got away. SOLD
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