Original Item: Only One Available. This is an exceptional early British Dragoon pistol. Notable features include the crown over G.R. lock being signed E. COLE and dated 1731. This is a very early dragoon pistol.
The barrel bears British proof marks and measures just over 9, the bore size is .65″. The furniture is all of brass and shows Dutch influence, it in fact matches the style of the very first 1730 brass mounted Brown Bess muskets.Particularly the front of the trigger guard. For comparison see Pages 19 – 21 in “THE BROWN BESS” a wonderful book written by Erik Goldstein and Stuart Mowbray, published by Mowbray Publishing in 2010.
At first glance we assumed this pistol to have been shortened having perhaps started life with a 12″ barrel but after comparison with other Dragoon Pistols dated in the 1730s and 1740s with 12″ barrels it is quite clear that this pistol has always had a 9″ barrel with all the ramrod mounts scaled back and the fore end cut appropriately from the time of original manufacture.
ELIAS COLE worked from 1720 until 1775 from his shop in London and was known for his many blunderbusses and weapons bearing the Royal cipher, such as this example.
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