Extremely Rare, Original, Quality, British, Henry Nock, Screwless Lock. Duke of Richmond’s Pattern Musket, Short Land Pattern, 39 inch Barrel, Brown Bess .75 inch Calibre, Smooth Bore Musket. Sn - 21851:5 Extremely Rare, Original, Quality, British, Henry Nock, Screwless Lock. Duke of Richmond’s Pattern Musket, Short Land Pattern, 39 inch Barrel, Brown Bess .75 inch Calibre, Smooth Bore Musket. Sn - 21851:5 Muzzleloader .75 Rifles

This is an original, Quality, unmessed with British, Henry Nock Short Duke of Richmond’s Pattern Short Land Pattern Musket, 39 inch barrel Brown Bess .75 inch calibre musket fitted with a Nock Screwless Lock. This musket is modelled on the Duke of Richmond’s pattern musket made between 1794 and 1797 in 2 variations with 42 inch barrels. This musket measures 55 inches overall with a barrel length of 39 inches. The barrel has and has 2 London proof marks stamped on side of the breach with HN (Henry Nock) stamped between them. The breech plug also has a sighting groove in it. The patent Nock lock lockplate is engraved on the side H NOCK and has 2 line engraving round it. The original muskets were made with 4 ram rod tubes. This is a short land pattern Brown Bess musket made to the Short Land Pattern with 3 ram rod tubes and a steel ramrod. The barrel is retained by 3 flat steel wedges instead of round pins. The butt is fitted with the short land pattern butt plate and the lock is retained by a flat side plate with 3 screws in it. The cocking and firing mechanism work as they should with a strong spring pressure. The bore has staining and residue with use. The quality walnut stock is in a nice condition with no cracks and has only minor knocks and bumps with age. This is nice untouched example of an Henry Nock screwless lock Brown Bess short land pattern musket. See British Military Longarms 1715-1815 by D.W.Bailey and British Military Firearms 1650-1850 by Howard l. Blackmore. New evidence from surviving prototypes illustrates the development of the rare musket that has become known as the ‘Duke of Richmond’s Musket’. The need for large quantities of arms to fight the wars with France resulted in the abandonment of this excellent gun in favour of the lower quality but much faster to make India Pattern Musket, and afterwards many Duke of Richmond Muskets were converted to conventional locks and then lost in the Tower of London fire of 1841. Only a handful of examples exist today. See British Military Longarms 1715-1815 by D.W.Bailey and British Military Firearms 1650-1850 by Howard l. Blackmore. Delivery is to the U.K. mainland by arrangement and at cost. Sn 21851:5