Rare Early 19th Century Massachusetts Militia Musket

Description:
NSN, .69 Caliber, 42" barrel with a very good, lightly pitted bore. This is a handsome musket, built with Charleville / Springfield type furniture, and having an imported British lock by Ashmore. The barrel has a mostly gray patina with thin patches of plum-brown freckling along its length, and clear markings at the breech, including an 1826 date and "LH" inspector markings (probably Luke Harrington, the state "barrel prover" of Worcester County, and whose initials have been found on barrels made by Elijah and Asa Waters of Millbury, MA). The fully functional lock has a matching, mostly gray patina with crisp decorative engraving and clear "R / ASHMORE / WARRANTED" markings beneath the pan. The walnut stock is in very good shape, with minor handling marks and small surface blemishes scattered throughout the old military oil finish. Some heavier pitting and a darker brown patina is visible on the iron buttplate, and the original iron ramrod is still present. In his book "Massachusetts Military Shoulder Arms 1784 & 1877" (1988), George Moller illustrates several muskets of nearly identical pattern, describing them as "variant armory pattern" muskets. This is a fantastic looking early American commercial militia pattern musket, and is in very good-fine condition overall. Antique;


Price: $2,495.00