Original British Percussion Converted .65” Bore Fusil by W. Ketland & Co. Cut Down to “Blanket Gun” Length Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This was once a very nice English .65 bore fowling piece made by William Ketland & Co. of Birmingham and London, and is marked W. KETLAND & Co. on the lock plate. This company supplied large numbers of firearms to the colonial market, and this was sold as a trade gun in the North American Fur Trading market, which was booming in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. From what we can tell, this was originally most likely a flintlock, and then converted to percussion, as indicated by the holes in the lock plate for the frizzen spring and frizzen. It is however also possible that to economize Ketland never changed the casting molds for their lock plates and would just plug the holes later.

At some point after that, the barrel was cut down to just 16 ½ inches, becoming what we know as a BLANKET GUN, carried mostly by Native Americans in the Fur Trapping regions. The small gun would be hidden under a shoulder blanket for protection while attending traps. The gun is in very nice shape, and comes complete with a shortened steel ramrod. The lock is still fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full, and the cap nipple looks to be a more recent replacement. The barrel shows some minimal engraving, but we can still see the faint CROWN / V “viewed” and CROWN / GP markings of the London Proof House.

Most interesting dating to the late 1700s, and probably cut down and converted in the 1830s. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1790
Caliber: .65 inches
Ammunition Type: Cap & Ball / Shot
Barrel Length: 16 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 32 inches
Action: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded

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