A very interesting early British Military Dragoon Pistol

Occasionally you come across an item that is unique and does not match any of the more widely known patterns. This pistol is just such an item. Ostensibly it looks like the well-known Heavy Dragoon Pistols of the early to mid-18th century however on closer inspection there is more to this pistol.

The first thing of note is that it is smaller and shorter than a traditional Heavy Dragoon pistol of the period with only a 10.5” barrel. The well-known Heavy Dragoon pistol has a 12” barrel and is noticeable larger, however the brass furniture on this pistol is the same as its larger cousin, matching the 1730/1738 patterns. On investigation, there are records of Ordnance contracts from the late 1730’s/1740’s for small batches of pistols for Dragoons with 10” barrels rather than the traditional 12”. We also start to see pistols for dragoons recorded with both 12” & 10” barrels in Ordnance lists around this period, with the 10” being rarer and more highly valued at the time. This was a time of experimentation with cavalry tactics with new lighter and more mobile units of Dragoons increasingly in fashion. The more widely known Light Dragoon Pattern of pistol with its 9” barrel would not be produced until just before the 1760’s and so these 10” pistols for dragoons in the style of the older Heavy Dragoon pistols were a precursor and early attempt to solve this problem. On examination, there are no signs that this pistol has ever been shortened and so it would appear to be a rare survivor of one of these early contracts for shorter 10” pistols for dragoons. Given the dates of known contracts for these pistols and the dates of the brass furniture used, this gives a likely date of manufacture of circa 1740.

The next thing that stands out is the flat dog lock/dog safety. Whilst such locks were relatively common at the turn of the 18th century, with Ordnance lists showing a mixture of flat locks and rounded locks being produced, they had almost entirely disappeared by the 1730’s with most dog safeties on existing arms being removed and the notches filed off the locks. With a likely date of manufacture for this pistol of circa 1740, at first glance, this puts this lock ~a decade out of time. On examining the pistol, the lock appears original to the pistol, in both patina and fit, if it is not original then it is a very well made and fitted custom period replacement. The question then remains as to why a flat lock with a dog safety would be found in an Ordnance contract pistol circa 1740. There are two possibilities, either it was an experimental lock as part of a small Ordnance contract for shorter 10” pistols for dragoons or it is a later replacement. The majority of Ordnance gun makers would have still had experience with flat locks with dog safeties at the time that this pistol was likely made. When the use case for this pistol, a new unit of lighter more highly mobile Dragoons is considered, it is entirely possible that the dog safety was proposed to ensure the safety of the intended highly mobile user as part of this particular contract, if so then this would have been a last hurrah as such for the dog lock safety.

The other possibility that must be considered is that this lock is a period replacement. The sloped brass pan on the lock does not match any known British patterns from the period and is more in line with continental patterns. However, on examination, the lock does not match any known continental patterns either and the brass pan may have simply been another aspect of the experimental nature of the lock. As the pistol is marked to the 1st Kings Dragoon Guards, there is a possibility that the pistol was captured in Europe following one of their battles such as the battle of Warburg in 1760. The lock may have been a custom replacement at this time however such a lock with a dog safety is not known to have been produced in any of the areas where the 1st Kings Dragoon guards served at this time. It is also possible that simply the original pan was replaced on the continent at this time as part of a locally sourced battlefield repair during the campaign and personally I am leaning towards this possibility. This would leave us with a pistol for dragoons manufactured circa 1740 as part of a small Ordnance Contract for 10” pistols with an experimental lock. The pan would then have later been damaged and replaced as part of a local repair on the continent during the 1st Kings Dragoons campaign during the 7 years’ war.

This is a fascinating early British Military pistol from a period where tactics and weapons were changing rapidly. It would make a fine addition to any collection and perhaps it’s future owner will be able to discover more of its history.