Wall-hanger dirk and weapons diplay opinions sought!

[Tarheel]

I wonder if the photos above depict pairs of pistols because they were made for dueling (companions or matching sets). There is the problem of only allowing one shot before reloading, but I do not wish to speculate further.

Certainly the piper has a lot of stuff on his uniform.
The other gent was refined enough to remove his hat while indoors.

[MacRob]

All that equipment and garb was what was considered in Georgian and Victorian times as the kit of a front rank Highland fighting man. In truth, only a few Highlanders could afford all that stuff and by 1745 most of the people who turned out for service in the clan regiments had very little of it. The front rank Highlanders were the shock troops of Prince Charlie's army and were effective when the odds were in their favor. The tartan revival of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, progressing on into the early 20th century, created the idea that all Highlanders of old were heavily armed with all the stuff on your list but that simply was not the case.

[MacRob]

I wonder if the photos above depict pairs of pistols because they were made for dueling (companions or matching sets). There is the problem of only allowing one shot before reloading, but I do not wish to speculate further.

Certainly the piper has a lot of stuff on his uniform.
The other gent was refined enough to remove his hat while indoors.

Pistols were carried in pairs by pre-Culloden Highlanders so they would have two shots rather than one. They were not dueling pistols.

[OC Richard]

It's a curious thing that the British army envisioned their new Highland troops in a "light" role in the mid-18th century, yet the men were burdened down with a plethora of weaponry. They later shed the extra things and ended up equipped more or less the same as non-Highland troops.

Here's a soldier of The Black Watch in 1740, note all the weapons

[Jack Daw]

Shaun, the display looks great. I look forward to seeing the new dirk, too. (What about a Bowie knife?! - nah)

[ShaunMaxwell]

I spoke with Mike McCrae of Scotia Metalworks day before yesterday and he told me he'd be finishing up the dirk today (Friday). That said, I'm expecting to receive it sometime next week.

Also, I placed an order for the pistol from Middlesex Village Trading Co. back on April 14... No idea when that will arrive, as it's a one-man operation and he's told me that he'll send it as soon as he gets to my order (apparently, he has to disassemble, check, drill the vent hole and reassemble every piece he receives from India to verify that they're in working order...). I reckon it'll be along in another month or two.

I'll post photos of the display when all the pieces arrive and I work out what to do with the tartan.

SM

[MacRob]

I spoke with Mike McCrae of Scotia Metalworks day before yesterday and he told me he'd be finishing up the dirk today (Friday). That said, I'm expecting to receive it sometime next week.

Also, I placed an order for the pistol from Middlesex Village Trading Co. back on April 14... No idea when that will arrive, as it's a one-man operation and he's told me that he'll send it as soon as he gets to my order (apparently, he has to disassemble, check, drill the vent hole and reassemble every piece he receives from India to verify that they're in working order...). I reckon it'll be along in another month or two.

I'll post photos of the display when all the pieces arrive and I work out what to do with the tartan.

SM

I think that Pete at Middlesex pulls off the barrels and drills the touch holes then checks the innards of the lock. Other than that there is not much to do to it. I have one of the pistols, purchased from Middlesex and sold by a few other vendors as well. Frankly, no matter what you do to it, it is probably not going to be much of a firearm. They look good as the stock architecture mimics that of a Doune pistol but overall it lacks the grace of the originals. The springs in most of the locks are very heavy. That means you will get a few snaps out of a flint before it is too dull to produce a spark. The frizzen does not seem to be well-hardened either. You can do some things to change the gun's appearance and possibly improve its function but you have to ask yourself - as I did - "is it worth it?" My answer was no and I have since then purchased a better, custom-made pistol. I have never fired mine with a ball and would not recommend doing that but I have heard from folks who did and had no problems. Middlesex is, however, the best and most careful supplier of the guns and the only one who drills the touch hole for you.

[ShaunMaxwell]

Initially, I was planning to purchase the pistol from flintlockrepair.com, but when I contacted the proprietor, Earl Kathan, he told he had no Murdoch pistol in stock and didn't know when he'd be able to obtain more, as they were currently unavailable from his supplier.

On his website, he states:

All the locks of our flintlock pistols and muskets are removed and checked from the inside as well as the outside for good function. The frizzens are case hardened to ensure a nice spark and the breech is drilled with a 3/32" vent hole.

As a value added service we will "breakdown" the lock, polish and harden certain internal components to speed lock performance and reliability. This added service is $50.00

Other services are available.

So there's at least one other source who will drill the vent holes!

Thanks for the info, MacRob!

Cheers,

SM

[MacRob]

Thanks for the information. I had not heard of Flintlock Repair but have now bookmarked them.

[ShaunMaxwell]

In Friday afternoon's post, I received the reproduction early 18th century dirk I'd commissioned Mike McRae of Scotia Metalwork to make.

The blade is made from 5160 steel, the handle is hand carved ebony and the pommel is brass. Here are a few photos:







I'm very pleased with the outcome and think it will add tremendously to the display I'm putting together... The only missing piece now is the reproduction Murdoch pistol, which is still on order...

What do you think?

Cheers,

SM