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British Sea Service Pistol

History of British Sea Service Pistols

Even the seafaring age was not immune to the development of land warfare as guns became widely accepted. The flintlock became the accepted standard action for firearms, a method that allowed for a more reliable, closed operation, which in turn gave birth to a new generation of pistols and muskets. As cannon salvos turn into hand-to-hand combat, it's only a matter of time before the world's naval powers use them for boarding operations. Early navies used various types of these weapons on warships, and it wasn't until the 18th century that the Royal Navy began to switch to standardized, seaworthy small arms. One of these products became the sea service pistol.

54 caliber used by the Royal Navy in its war with neighbouring France, circa 1750-1815.

Essentially, the Sea Service pistol is a traditional flintlock pistol that requires a piece of flint held in a vise on a hinged hammer. Then while the hammer is down, scrape the flint onto the waiting metal surface (frizz/glitter pan) to create the necessary sparks which are inserted through a small hole into the propellant basin (as part of the frizz/glitter pan) Activate the charge in the weapon and push the ammo ball out of the barrel. Action relies on proper tension of the included external spring, drum and searing/trigger lever assembly. Flintlock pistols are often inaccurate and prone to misfire, especially in wet or humid environments, and despite this feature, they were the firearm action of choice for about 200 years before the advent of lightning caps, which were The interior played most of the role. Due to the reloading process and single-shot firing of flintlocks, they only allowed single-shot firing before close combat with blunt, sharp or pointed weapons occurred.

Since then, the weapon has been relegated to club use or discarded. The single-shot nature of this gun often forces the operator to use multiple pistols in a pseudo "burst" action.

The sea service pistol uses a smooth one piece wood stock with a machined grip in it. Brass is used for the trigger ring and stock, while metal is only used for the breech plate and barrel action - these areas require appropriately high tolerance materials.

The locking plate is mounted on the right side of the gun body, and the barrel is nested along the front. Since the charge and projectile are loaded manually through the muzzle, the push rod is an important part of the design, usually made of wood or brass.

The pushrod is tucked into a channel under the barrel and pulled out when needed, slamming the barrel's contents down in the direction of action.

The original Sea Service model came with a 12" barrel, until sometime in the 1790s, a more compact form and a shorter 9" barrel were not considered. An early version of this pistol appeared in the East India Company, hence the name "East India Company Sea Pistol". Sea service pistols served in several major battles of this period, including the French and Indian War (1754-1763 - as part of the Seven Years' War), the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and Trafalgar (1805) and War of 1812 (1812-1815).

Captured British stocks, which were hastily adopted by the American army during the War of 1812, and the Mexican government eventually bought these pistols in bulk from Britain after the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815).

Sea service pistols lived long and healthy lives in the more romantic era of war, although they were still the quintessential tool of killing. By the 1860s, shock caps proved to be more reliable than existing flintlock guns, and many existing flintlock firearms were thus converted to shock fires.

Specification

Base

Years in Service

1750

Origins

Categories

Flintlock Pistol

Manufacturer

National Armory - United Kingdom

Operator

Mexico; UK; US

Roll

Pistol/Pistol

Compact design for close work or general self-defense.

Action

flintlock; muzzle shop; single shot

Flintlock

A primer on operating systems that were popular about 200 years ago. The action involves a piece of flint and a drop weight to create the spark/ignition, igniting the propellant to propel the ammunition from the chamber to the barrel and through the muzzle.