.png)
Henry Nock 7-Barrel Flintlock Pistol
[Text discription below]
.jpeg)
.png)
70014
A Very Fine & Rare, 7-Barrel, Engraved Flintlock Pistol by Henry Nock:
English ca. 1785-1790. 150 Bore (8.05 mm) 0.318 cal. A very fine and rare seven-barrel flintlock pistol by Henry Nock (1,2). The overall length is 9.5 in. Weight is 1,274.0 g. Of steel construction with a brass breach block. The pistol is fitted with seven 2.5 in. keyed barrels each numbered from 7-12; center “13” is unnumbered. The breaches are numbered to correspond (Except “13”.), and each with a single London Proof mark (4, Fig. 1). (The barrel numbering suggests this pistol was one of a pair of pistols originally produced.) Large, engraved box-lock mechanism with single trigger and deep flash pan. Right side with maker’s signature in an oval: “H Nock London”. The left side with a sliding, barrel lock catch. Hand rotated barrel group. Wing headed tension adjuster on each side. Sliding thumb safety on the top with wheat leaf decoration which also locks the steel. Ring-necked cock and engraved trigger guard. Finely checkered English walnut stock. Oval, silver wrist escutcheon in a diamond shaped field with mullered boarders.
A Very Fine & Rare, 7-Barrel, Engraved Flintlock Pistol by Henry Nock:
English ca. 1785-1790. 150 Bore (8.05 mm) 0.318 cal. A very fine and rare seven-barrel flintlock pistol by Henry Nock (1,2). The overall length is 9.5 in. Weight is 1,274.0 g. Of steel construction with a brass breach block. The pistol is fitted with seven 2.5 in. keyed barrels each numbered from 7-12; center “13” is unnumbered. The breaches are numbered to correspond (Except “13”.), and each with a single London Proof mark (4, Fig. 1). (The barrel numbering suggests this pistol was one of a pair of pistols originally produced.) Large, engraved box-lock mechanism with single trigger and deep flash pan. Right side with maker’s signature in an oval: “H Nock London”. The left side with a sliding, barrel lock catch. Hand rotated barrel group. Wing headed tension adjuster on each side. Sliding thumb safety on the top with wheat leaf decoration which also locks the steel. Ring-necked cock and engraved trigger guard. Finely checkered English walnut stock. Oval, silver wrist escutcheon in a diamond shaped field with mullered boarders.
Fig. 1: London Proof mark used between 1740-1810.
Condition:
This highly desirable pistol is in excellent original condition throughout. The barrels retaining their original finish mixed with age patina. All seven bores are excellent. All screw slots are excellent indicating little if any disassembly or tightening. Mechanics are crisp, with strong main-spring pressure and firm barrel rotation. Wood and checkering are excellent with only very light handling wear overall. Excellent wood to metal fit. An extremely rare pistol and very difficult to find in this condition. One of the best examples extant.
Historical:
Henry Nock (1741–1804) was a British inventor and engineer of the Napoleonic period, best known as a gunsmith (3,5). He took Livery of the Gunmakers' Company in 1795 and was elected Master in 1802. He was appointed Gunsmith-in-Ordinary to George III in 1789 and was the principle maker of seven-barreled volley guns and rifles. He is recorded as having made a silver-mounted volley gun and pistol for George III, and a silver-mounted sporting rifle by him for the Prince of Wales is today in the collection of H.M. the Queen at Windsor Castle (inv. no. L154). He died in 1804.
Nock produced many innovative weapons including the screwless lock and the seven-barrelled volley gun, although he did not invent the latter despite it commonly being known as the Nock gun. He was a major supplier to the military during the Napoleonic wars. His high quality duelling pistols and double-barrelled shotguns were much sought after and it is largely through Nock that the latter became the weapon of choice for hunters. Nock produced many innovative weapons. In 1793 he made a double-barreled pistol with a removable stock for the Royal Horse Artillery. However, this weapon was impractical with the stock removed and was usually used as a carbine. In 1797 Nock put into production a 9-inch pistol (pattern 1796) for heavy dragoons with a calibre matching their carbines. Some of these pistols had a novel lock designed by Nock, originally intended for an abandoned musket design requested by the Duke of Richmond in 1786 while serving as Master-General of the Ordnance. The new lock could be dismantled by removable pins rather than the previous more cumbersome and time-consuming screws. The pattern 1796 had no butt-plate and the ramrod was stored in the holster rather than attached to the barrel. This feature made it unpopular with users and many guns were modified to take a conventional swivel ramrod.
In 1780, the Crown commissioned London and Birmingham gunmaker Henry Nock to produce two prototypes of seven barreled volley guns based on Wilson’s design. Impressed with the gun’s potential, the Admiralty subsequently requested 500 additional guns from Nock’s firm. That contract ultimately linked the design with Henry Nock’s eponym, for in any mention of the gun thereafter it would be referred to as the “Nock Volley Gun.”The name of Nock is perhaps best known today for the multi-barrelled Nock gun due to it being featured in several films. These include uses of this volley gun by the characters Patrick Harper in Sharpe and Jim Bowie in The Alamo. Nock was the manufacturer, but not the inventor, of this weapon. Despite its portrayal in film, this weapon was not very practical as a hand weapon due its very severe recoil, often causing injuries, and the time needed to reload the seven barrels. It was necessary to abandon the rifling of the early prototypes and reduce the charge to keep this problem manageable. Intended as a naval weapon fired from the rigging to repel boarders on the deck, it was retired by the Royal Navy in 1804. Nock also produced some experimental rotating multi-barreled guns to fire one barrel at a time.
In his own day, Nock was most well known for his double-barrelled shotguns. He was not the first to make weapons in such a format, but their high quality and Nock's many innovations led to shotguns becoming highly popular as a hunting gun, especially after Nock became gun maker to the king. Nock was also well known for his duelling pistols.
Bibliography:
1. Heer, Eugene (1978). Der Neue Stoeckel, Vol 2, p. 874. Journal-Verlag, Schwend GmbH.
2. Blackmore, H. (1986). A Dictionary of London Gunmakers, 1350-1850, Phaidon, Christie's, Oxford. ISBN [0-7148-8021-3] p. 149.
3. Neal, William Keith & Back, D.H.L. (1980). British Gunmakers Their Trade Cards, Cases and Equipment, Compton Press. ISBN [0-900193 581]. p. 70, plate 224. 4. Godwin, Brian; Evans, John (2008) The Cross Scepters & Crown Mark p. 3. Research Press Library. To see the article click here. 5. Henry Nock's trade card is reproduced here by permission from the British Museum.
1. Heer, Eugene (1978). Der Neue Stoeckel, Vol 2, p. 874. Journal-Verlag, Schwend GmbH.
2. Blackmore, H. (1986). A Dictionary of London Gunmakers, 1350-1850, Phaidon, Christie's, Oxford. ISBN [0-7148-8021-3] p. 149.
3. Neal, William Keith & Back, D.H.L. (1980). British Gunmakers Their Trade Cards, Cases and Equipment, Compton Press. ISBN [0-900193 581]. p. 70, plate 224. 4. Godwin, Brian; Evans, John (2008) The Cross Scepters & Crown Mark p. 3. Research Press Library. To see the article click here. 5. Henry Nock's trade card is reproduced here by permission from the British Museum.
.png)