There’s a lot of confusion among collectors around the several patterns of British six inch barrel percussion pistols in use from the 1830’s. The basic type appears to have been introduced in 1831 for use by Customs & Coastguard and were built on converted flintlock locks often showing Enfield WR and GR marked lockplates. The Customs & Coastguard pistols were also adopted by Police, Prisons, Land Transport Corp and Colonial forces. These pistols are generally carbine bore 0.65” and mostly do not have a belt hook.

When adopted by the Navy in 1839 the new Sea Service pattern was made in the smaller pistol bore 0.58” and was fitted with a belt hook on the left side. In addition, most sea service pistols of this type are fitted with a lanyard ring. Customs & Coast Guard pistols are sometimes also fitted with these rings but more often with a lanyard swivel. 

Despite being superseded by the improved 1842 pattern Sea Service pistol (in 1849) and the 1856 pattern pistol, the 1839 pattern pistols remained in naval service until replaced by the revolver.

This late 1839 pattern Sea Service pistol is marked on the lock with Crown V.R. Tower 1843 and on the wrist with a large 17 marked in white. This is most likely a Royal Navy rack number.

The stock appears to have been sanded and varnished so I can't see any stockmakers name although I can make out a very faint B^O on the upper right of the wrist . This is the Board of Ordnance mark that was instructed to be the Storekeepers stamp from mid 1824 onwards.

The 6” barrel measures 0.569” at the muzzle and shows its row of three Birmingham 'Tower Proof' stamps plus a later set of viewer's stamps along the top of the breech that are almost certainly from a later refurbishment inspection.

The underside of the barrel shows a very faint and poorly struck makers name J.TURNER for barrel maker Joseph Turner.

The breech end is marked with an inspection mark and G. ALLEN (Unrecorded worker. Probably for the barrel maker).

The trigger guard is poorly stamped with a 20^th century Police Registration number 49399PD. Possibly South Australian.

Inside the lock shows inspection mark and a faint I.C for John Corbett, the lockmaker.

The barrel channel is marked with an inspection mark and JNo ADAMS for John Adams, the setting up contractor.

The inside face of the belt hook is stamped T&C.G for Thomas & Charles Gilbert who supplied the Board of Ordnance with ribs (belt hooks), ramrods, nipple wrenches, etc.

The captive ramrod is secured in the stock with a thin leaf spring fixed in the barrel channel.

Blackmore, Howard. British Military Firearms 1650 - 1850, Herbert Jenkins, 1961.

Brooker, R.E. British Military Pistols 1603 - 1888, Le Magazin Royal Press, 1978

Brooker, Bob. British Military Pistols and Associated Edged Weapons, Privately Published, 2016.             

Davies, Chisnall & Brook. British Ordnance Single Shot Pistols, Maine Military Publishing, 2019.   

George, John Nigel. English Pistols & Revolvers, Holland Press, 1938.