Brass pistol made around 1780

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This brass pistol was made by Thomas Murdoch around 1780. Murdoch was a Doune-trained gunsmith who settled in Leith.

The pistol has a lock mechanism that works like the earlier snaphance locks. The flint strikes a spark from the steel above the powder pan. The ignition of the powder in the pan leads to the firing of the main charge in the barrel.

A demand from Highlanders for pistols was met in the 17th and early 18th centuries by the town of Doune. After the Jacobite Rising of 1745, the market for Doune pistols declined and Doune-trained gunsmiths dispersed to other towns.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-000-788-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  H.LH 18
• Date: Around 1780
  c. 1780
  
• Material: Brass; steel works. Inscription: T. MURDOCH
  Pistol, flintlock
  
• Dimensions: 315 mm L x 135 mm
  
• What: Pistol, flintlock
  
• Subject: Firearms (NMAS Classification)
  
• Who: Thomas Murdoch (Maker)
  
• Where:
• Event:
• Description: Lobe butt flintlock pistol of brass, decorated with a type of stiff leaf motif, inscribed T. Murdoch, c. 1780
  
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