A VERY FINE+ & RARE FRENCH & INDIAN/AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR PERIOD AMERICAN-MADE LONGLAND PATTERN/1st MODEL BROWN BESS NEW JERSEY? “COS” MUSKET, ca. 1760-1770: In very fine/near excellent untouched original flintlock condition. Made with an unmarked, pin-fastened, American made, octagonal-to-round, 46 1/2″, smoothbore, .75 caliber, barrel with a top-mounted bayonet lug/front sight (worn). Finely carved, American-Walnut, Longland Pattern/Brown Bess fullstock with simple raised-carved points, around the lock and sideplate mortises, a pronounced lobe at the ramrod entry, a beavertail apron at the barrel-tang and a deeply fluted comb, on the buttstock. Colonial American manufactured & Recycled “Brown Bess”, brass furniture. The Marine & Militia Pattern buttplate with a three-stepped, screw-fastened tang and its flat marked with a “No. 25” Rack/Unit marking in classic 18th century characters. Four (4) Brown Bess ramrod pipes—for iron rammer, a flat Shortland Pattern Brown Bess sideplate with a tail, a brass nose-cap; and the American trigger-guard with a raised hazelnut forward finial: not made for a wrist escutcheon, as is typical of many American arms. American made?, Germanic-type, bridle-less Lock with a flat banana-form lockplate, its matching gooseneck hammer, original frizzen and teardrop finial frizzen-spring. The face with an illegible, deeply struck maker’s/inspector’s mark within a rectangular cartouche. In overall very fine+/near excellent, untouched, original flintlock condition with a strong mainspring and fine timing. The iron surfaces of the barrel with a smooth gray-brown age patina and the expected light signs of use and wear: fine touch-hole. The lock, en suite with its original components, matching smooth surfaces and in mechanically functional order with a strong mainspring and fine timing. Excellent stock with 90%+ finish, very sharp contours, only some minor handling marks and light signs of use/wear: of competent gunsmith make with a sharp attention to design and detail. Nicely toned brass furniture with a very fine age patina. An excellent example of a French & Indian/American Revolutionary War Period, Longland Pattern/First Model Brown Bess “COS” Musket, ca. 1770. Complete with its trumpet-head iron ramrod. Overall length, 62”. Of very similar design to the type of Committee of Safety Musket made for the State of New Jersey. For additional information and a similar example, please see G. C. Neumann’s & F. Kravic’s: “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution”, pg. 202, fig. 7.
Images and description courtesy of Paul’s Antique Arms & Armour at: http://www.ambroseantiques.com/flongarms.htm