![]() ![]() What you see in the end is almost entirely original except the cocks and slide safety catches and one (?) ramrod. ![]() The positive is that they have the original barrels, lockplates, frizzens & frizzen springs, brass furniture and the overall woodwork – just a few minor details missing! But now its finished what you see is largely original! Here are the before and after photos! I had to find a cock, make a tumbler and sear etc and sliding safety, plus top jaw and cock and side screw. The second pistol stock was a complete wreck and almost looked beyond repair, but in fact only needed three bits of wood let in and it is as good as new – in fact its difficult to distinguish it from the other. Anyway when I came to sort out the pile of bits it was clear that only some were related, but I got enough parts to make most of the Post Office one – minus the sear, mainspring and sliding safety parts – there was one small part of the wood missing at the muzzle but apart from making a few new parts it is original, althought the cock is an old (1969) replacement and I had to re-adjust the square fit. The differences between the two are subtle – slightly different butt shape and barrel shape, and slightly different lock size and action parts. The names indicate that the Post Office pistol was post 1834, the other earlier. ![]() There were bits for two pistols, they were not identical- the Post Office stamped one was by J Harding and Son and the other was just Harding, both of Borough in London. ![]() J Harding was the official contractor to the Post Office and made many brass barrelled blunderbusses and brass barreled coach pistols for the mail coaches, plus it would seem, a very (?) few pocket pistols for Postmen on foot. One stock, barrel and lock plate were fine – fortunately the one with the Post Office stamps as that is a very rare pistol. I bought a pile of bits at a Bonham’s Auction for a pretty exorbitant price and they sat in the tin box they came in for a year or so. ![]()
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