" Funny how some things that we "know" we later discover that we really don't. "
Yeah, we've got some recent info on trade muskets that prove that fact nicely.
Hamilton's book on trade guns is really nice, and a FINE research tool, but some of the info in it is kinda dated.
A few years back we got a type G trade gun in from a local river diver, it was in pretty good condition considering the circumstances.
While I was cleaning the lock I saw "WIL..." engraved in the plate.
No biggie, Wilson did a TON of them....we knew that.
But, once I started cleaning further, a piece of concretion flecked off and it WASN'T Wilson on the lockplate, it was Williams.
Did some digging on that and found out he had a contract with the Hudson Bay Company.
Now, Florida is sorta away from their area, so I wrote some letters because I wanted to know whether HBC imported guns as a broker, or if they were strictly for their own use.
They weren't brokers....
Williams only did guns for a short period of time, in fact, he died and his wife finished out the contract after he passed on.
He was producing guns for HBC from 1715 to 1735.
His wife Anne (and his son Thomas) did the contracts from 1738 to 1744.
This gun has an ODD early serpent sideplate.
In Hamilton's book, on page 67 there's a collection of sideplates.
A and B are from Ft. Frederica (1736 - 1743).
Our sideplate is identical to B, except that the head of the serpent is the same as on A....
To my knowledge, and my boss's, ( who REALLY knows his sh#t about this stuff!!!) this is the only one ever recovered like this.
Another ODD thing about the 2 Type G barrels we've conserved recently is the barrel construction.
They're done in two pieces, the breech section and the barrel.
Judging by the difference in decay of the metal, it seems that they were making the breech section separately, and out of a better quality of metal, then scarf welding the rest of the barrel on.
You can see the butt/scarf weld seams quite clearly, and the longitudinal seams do not align with each other.
Again, as far as we know, no other trade gun barrels have been found that have been constructed like this.
Also got the wadding and ball from the HBC gun.
The wadding appears to be palm frond, and the ball is faceted, looks like it was hand hammered!
After all is said and done, we just have MORE questions!
So, does this push the date for introduction of Type G's back a bit from 1730?
Maybe.
How long was that kind of transitional side plate in use?
What's the deal with making the barrels that way?
How did that HBC gun end up in Florida?
There just really aren't a whole lot of these things, so every time we get one, it seems we learn something.
(Or have more questions!)
"As far as setting down a drinking horn, historical records show that proper Viking etiquette was to simply jam the pointy end into the nearest non-Germanic person should one need his hands free...
y'know, if you had to pee....."
I desperatly wanted the Remington Revolving Carbine but can you believe they are a Prohibited Weapon in my home state!!!!! They are so elegant and sexy looking.
) and complete the pistol-carbine set. It might not out-cool the Max or B&W armours, but it would be pretty darned close. 
