"Real" Tower Flintlock Pistol?

[Hamish]

147102Messing about at the LGS and an older gent comes in with a FL he's looking to sell and says many years ago he bought it as a kit, but has no idea of the value.

Side of the lock says "Tower". Under the pan has the Crown and "GR". Bore is 11/16ths. (Sorry, that one I don't know the caliber off hand.). Overall, brass work seems a little crude, with grind marks here and there, grind marks in all the lock works, fit is fairly crude.

Anyone have a ball park idea how much I should offer?

[Tatume]

That would be 69 caliber. I have one I built from a kit; would probably sell it for $10 if I was interested in selling it.

[bedbugbilly]

These "kits" were popular back in the 60s. One of the problems with them was a soft frizzen that wouldn't produce sparks. They could be hardened, replaced or "faced".

During the same time - and I don't remember the make but "Hollywood" strikes a tune - just not sure - a reproduction "Buccaneer" or similar name was produced. They were different than these Tower pistols but am just putting it out there as a safety precaution should anyone run across one. They had barrels with a tapered - not threaded breech plug that was inserted and "pinned" in place - beware if you run across one as they are not safe to fire - a "wall hanger" only.

If you get the Tower - you may or may not have to harden the frizzed to get good sparks. Like any ML - check it over well or have a good bP gunsmith do it to make sure it is OK to shoot.

[KCSO]

Nothing if you want a shooter. they were made as decorators and in 1970 or so sold for 49.95. The frizzens are soft and do not harden well the springs are soft and don't hold up. They are wall hangers.

[waksupi]

Nothing if you want a shooter. they were made as decorators and in 1970 or so sold for 49.95. The frizzens are soft and do not harden well the springs are soft and don't hold up. They are wall hangers.

Yep. Ask how much they will pay you to take it.

[bob208]

what will they pay you to take it home? I lost a lot of money on one of those back when I first started collecting. then I got smarter.

[Tatume]

Nothing if you want a shooter. they were made as decorators and in 1970 or so sold for 49.95. The frizzens are soft and do not harden well the springs are soft and don't hold up. They are wall hangers.

I don't know the brand of the FL kit gun I built, but it does shoot. Sparks rather well, in fact.

[pietro]

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FWIW, "real" Towers didn't come as a kit - I'd pay up to a max of $50 for that one, as a curiosity.

(provided, of course, that it didn't have a pinned-in-place barrel)


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[Hamish]

Certainly glad to hear about the possibility of a soft frizzen, and the barre *is* pinned. I had thought it might be worth $50,,,,,,,,,,,

Thanks for all the replies folks, it is appreciated.

[Tatume]

The barrel will be pinned into the stock on a good one too. It is the breech block that is of concern. The breech block should be threaded into the barrel. Cheap, dangerous breech blocks slip fit into the barrel, and are then pinned.

[KCSO]

Pinned barrel TOWERS are wall hangers only, I will not certify them as safe to shoot and will not alow anyone to be near anyone shooting one on the range.

[Tatume]

Again, there are two places pins may be used, and "pinned barrel towers" is ambiguous. If the breech plug is pressed into the barrel and pinned, the gun should not be fired. On the other hand, I'm having a very expensive, custom muzzleloader built, and it will have the barrel pinned into the stock.

[Tatume]

Take a look here:

http://www.nramuseum.com/the-museum/the-galleries/the-road-to-american-liberty/case-18-the-arms-of-the-american-revolution-ii/tower-model-1760-flintlock-pistol.aspx

You can very clearly see two pins that secure the barrel to the stock.

[Hardcast416taylor]

As I best recall my brother paid about $20 for a fully complete reproduction Tower back in the late `60`s. These were coming out of Japan as I recall seeing on the barrel as import mark. The flash hole wasn`t drilled thru into the barrel on his. He did drill it thru but never fired it after he heard how soft the steels were in them. It would spark when tried on the frizzen, just not a shower of sparks.Robert

[fouronesix]

No ambiguity about pinned barrels. Just not enough info as to specific details of manufacture. A decorative wall-hanger unsuitable for shooting should be obvious enough except I guess to complete muzzleloader/gun newbs and novices.

A breech plug pressed in and pinned into a barrel is a sure sign of a wall hanger decorative only piece. However, functional shootable muzzleloaders with barrels pinned into stocks is accepted and very common and most common on earlier pieces and repros of early pieces.

Two completely different concepts that should not be confused.

[Tatume]

No ambiguity about pinned barrels. Just not enough info as to specific details of manufacture.

Not enough information to distinguish what is meant is the very definition of ambiguity.