1833 dated E. Whitney musket: Help needed

rott51

Cadet
Joined
Feb 11, 2017
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Hi. New to the forum. I recently acquired this musket and have tried to research as much as I can but any guidance/opinion welcome. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe it is an 1816 contract Eli Whitney musket dated 1833 that went through a "belgian" transformation to percussion at some point. It appears to have markings by the nipple "P" which I assume is a proof firing mark, and above that an "LS" which are inspector marks?? My questions are: Does it look like it was restored or messed with in any way? Does the finish appear to be original (Bright)? What is the little "dagger" stamping on the inside of the trigger guard? Any idea of what action it might have seen? Any help, comments, and opinions welcome and appreciated. Thank you!! Ron
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It has been cleaned, but it doesn't look too bad overall. Post a picture of the stock flat opposite the lock so it can be confirmed, but it appears that the stock hasn't been sanded. You are correct about the barrel proofs. The dagger on the inside of the trigger guard is interesting, but I haven't examined enough Whitney 1816s to tell you if it is a common marking.

Thanks for sharing,
Garrett
 
The side panel on the back has been modified from the way it was originally issued, reason unknown. The panel should be tapered at the rear the same as it is on the lock side.

Edited correction: This 1833 dated Whitney was one of 1,700 delivered in 1833 under Edwards & Goodrich who were Trustees for the estate of E. Whitney, who had passed away in 1825.
J.
 
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As prolific as that type of conversion was, I never understood why it wasn't reproduced for reenacting.

Kevin Dally
 
Welcome From The Heart Of Dixie. Nice early conversion and great markings. The dagger is very interesting.
 
Tin Cup - The reason for the "Cone-in-Barrel" alteration not being reproduced is because it is a very weak alteration. It is prone to blowing the cones out of the barrel because there are no more than 4 threads holding the cone into barrel. The slightest bit of erosion in the breech from gas cutting is a set-up for an unpleasant incident. Much less the excessive breech pressure caused by large powder charges!
J.
 
Very pretty - welcome to the forums from a fellow gun collector and host of the Stonewall Jackson Forum!

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