Original Cased British Percussion Overcoat Pistol by William Powell of Birmingham with Spare Rifled Barrel & Accessories – Circa 1840 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely early Victorian Era British Overcoat pistol, with a very nice .54″ octagonal smoothbore barrel marked W. POWELL on the top. This is for known maker William Powell of Birmingham. who worked 1815 until 1845. At this point his son joined the business, which then lasted until 1880. Based on the style and markings we believe the pistol was made about 1840, and is simply lovely. It has a great checkered grip and features a captured ramrod under the barrel.

The pistol came to us in a lovely custom wooden case, which measures 11 1/4″ x 9″ x 2 “, and is lined with green fabric, now a bit worn and faded due to age and use. There are multiple compartments on the interior, which would have been for items such as spare powder, cleaning tools, and so forth. It still contains a very nice brass powder flask, as well as a wooden handled cleaning tool for the smoothbore barrel. A small lidded compartment in the upper left holds some bullets and patches. There is also a very nice replacement rifled barrel along with a smaller diameter captured ramrod assembly. The case is in very good condition, with functional hinges, and a lock at front, though we do not have the key.

The replacement rifled barrel is in fact marked on the top by another maker, in this case Hollis & Sheath London, another known gun maker of the time. This Birmingham company that made high quality weapons from 1852 to 1862, so they most likely made the barrel for the pistol years after it was originally purchased, when rifled bores became more popular.

The pistol measures 9″ in overall length, and is currently fitted with the 4″ smoothbore barrel that it was made with. The box lock action and hammer are covered in foliate engraving, which is really quite exquisite, and there is similar engraving on the trigger guard. There are also silver escutcheons on the back and the bottom of the walnut grip.

Both barrels are marked with the CROWN / CROSSED SCEPTERS / BPC “proof” marking from the English City of Birmingham, while the action bears the CROWN / CROSSED SCEPTERS / V “viewed” marking. These are the correct markings for pre-1853 manufacture. There are no other markings on the pistol that we can see.

Condition of the pistil is very good, with a lovely color to the grip and a great plum patina on the metalwork. The replacement barrel still retains much of the original bluing, and the bore is in very good condition, showing some wear and oxidation. The deep 7 groove rifling is still very strong. The lock is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full.

A lovely cased overcoat pistol with some great display and research potential. Really a fantastic cased set!

Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: circa 1840
Caliber: .54″ (Smoothbore barrel)
Caliber: .38″ (Rifled Barrel)
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder with Percussion Cap
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Overall Length: 9 inches
Action: Percussion Box Lock 
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country’s antique gun laws prior to ordering.