Cool Spanish Colonial Miquelet Small Musket (Escopeta) with Plug Bayonet

Description:
NSN, Approximately .70 Caliber, 34 3/4" part octagon barrel with slightly flared muzzle and a very good bore that has some mild freckling and pinprick pitting along its length. This is a very nicely made Spanish colonial musket that has an ornate gold and silver inlaid octagonal breech with an engraved wedding band transition to round. Deeply struck proofs are present at the breech and on the fully functional miquelet lock. The metal has an overall smooth plum-brown patina with scattered areas of mild surface freckling, as well as some pitting, mainly around the vent at the breech. The carved wooden stock has old, rounded chips missing from the side walls of the forend, which was also shortened at some point in the past from full-length, probably due to a break, or for use as a sporting arm. The remaining wood is in fine shape with numerous small handling marks and minor surface blemishes scattered about the old oil finish. A period metal ramrod is included. The gun is further accompanied by a period plug bayonet that measures 11 5/8" overall, with a 7 1/4" triangular, double-edged, unfullered blade having riveted sheet brass reinforces at the ricasso. The blade has a mottled gray-black patina throughout, with some circular brass inlays at the forte, and visible old sharpening marks along the edges. The hilt has typical straight quillons, a brass ferrule, and a shaped blonde wood grip with a thimble-like pommel cap with exposed capstan rivet. These small bayonets were popular with hunting guns, especially guns intended for wild boar. This is a neat and unusual Spanish arm, rarely seen today despite the vast numbers that made it to the New World, and this example rates very good condition overall. Antique;

Antique: Yes

Price: $1,950.00