what do I have here?

[rpludwig]

at first glance, thought it was a Tower pistol, but no ramrod...only marking is #17 on left side of lock...any idea what it is?

[waarp8nt]

...any idea what it is?

I would say it is a burden on your collection and you should sell it to me....lol. Seriously though, I have no idea and cannot offer any useful information about the pistol, but I do like it!

[pietro]

.

Why, it's a cap gun, silly....... ;)

I've never seen another forend cap treatment like that on a handgun.

It's reminiscent of a long gun forend cap.

I would suggest you dismount the gun & examine the bottom of the barrel & the inside of the lockplate for any possible maker's mark(s).


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[jaegerstutzen]

Austrian Lorenz cavalry pistol, cal. .54, model of 1859. The rammer was carried seperatly. I shoot an Austrian Lorenz Jaeger rifle, cal .54, model of 1854. Way cool and hard to come by. Bore will slug out about .545 I'm thinkin'. Are you going to shoot it? Best regards, Jaeger.

[rpludwig]

Jaeger...you nailed it for sure, found an auction link from your description, exactly the same:

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/wrightmarshall/catalogue-id-wright10041/lot-fa6ceddd-7708-4ae4-b241-a50800f0de1e

interesting piece of history...am I going to shoot it...perhaps, with the able assistance of a bp friend's advice after a thorough inspection of course!

Thanks so much for the identification...and welcome to the forum!

Ron

[pietro]

Austrian Lorenz cavalry pistol, cal. .54, model of 1859. The rammer was carried seperatly. I shoot an Austrian Lorenz Jaeger rifle, cal .54, model of 1854. Way cool and hard to come by. Bore will slug out about .545 I'm thinkin'. Are you going to shoot it? Best regards, Jaeger.


Welcome to the forum, Jaeger - You've surely hit the ground running, with your 1st post !


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[Sharpsman]

When you miss on the first shot.....grab by barrel and beat the schitt outa who's attacking you with the grip knob!!

[rpludwig]

When you miss on the first shot.....grab by barrel and beat the schitt outa who's attacking you with the grip knob!!

LOL...sure does look like a multi-purpose designed pistole!

[jaegerstutzen]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I bought one a while back missing the bbl. Carried it around for decades looking for one. Finally had my brother sell it at the NSSA's Fort Shenendoa. Perhaps that guy had the bbl. rpludwig, should you tired of it give me a shout if it has a shootable bbl. I would like to buy it should I be able to afford it. The Lorenz system used a Wilkenson style bullet. Rapine made a .545 minie but they are long out of business. The NSSA web page under forums is where I would go for info on shooting. I have a .540 and .580 Wilkenson mould that I will be shooting this year once I get settled in my new home in NC. Moose moulds seems to be the new boy in town. He makes Wilkenson style moulds but I don't know in what sizes. There is a guy in England who makes reasonably price round ball moulds in any size you want. Best regards,Jaeger.

[gnoahhh]

Don't look at the lack of rammer with modern eyes. Remember instead that during the time period this pistol was made, the handgun was an auxiliary/backup weapon. The primary weapon(s) of a cavalryman in every army in the world was the saber and/or lance (and the shear terror of a horse and rider bearing down on you at a gallop). Rapid reloading or even reloading at all of one's pistol just wasn't "in the manual", so to speak.

That changed as cavalry took on the role of mounted infantry as well, again during the early-mid 19th century. There was much debate preceding and during the Civil War as to their role. In the end the horse became more of a means of rapid response for a well armed trooper, and splashy cavalry charges with sabers and lances became a thing of the past.