Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is rare. Through research we are able to find a reference to “Gore’s Dragoons, however, weve never seen a pistol of this style and model.
The lock bears the maker’s name-
R. WATKIN
Watkin worked in London from 1710 to 1740 and received multiple military contracts for Royal Cyphered pistols as well as muskets.
This very unusual form has a monstrous round club like brass butt cap, almost circular, around which is engraved GORE’S DRAGOON. The brass furniture of trigger guard and rounded extended side plate are the exact type typically found on British military pistols a little while later in the late 1730s-early 1750s. Perhaps this was the first of that model issue?
The 12-inch barrel bears correct British proof marks and the ramrod is iron. The lock itself is very early having no frizzen reinforcement bar and a single screw behind the hammer on the lock plate. The frizzen is “squared” and the hammer/cock mirrors the earlier style of the Queen Anne era.
Extremely solid and in wonderful overall condition having been in an old English collection for close to 100 years having only recently appeared on the market. Any information regarding this model style would be greatly appreciated, as we have never seen anything quite like this before.