Despite the fact that Spain controlled nearly two thirds of what is now the modern United States until well into the 19th Century, modern collectors tend not to think of Spanish weapons when they consider "American Colonial firearms". While Dutch Fowlers, French pistols, and British Brown Bess muskets, all fetch large sums on the modern market, Spanish guns tend to remain over looked. This is likely because "New Spain" primarily covered the Southwest portion of the U.S, which was an area that remained quite "wild" until well into the 20th Century. Because of this any Spanish weaponry that was utilized in this area was used often used for generations, as it was difficult to obtain modern replacements. There are numerous accounts of early White Settlers in America's western territories during the mid 19th Century who encountered Indian warriors wearing Spanish armor and carrying Spanish escopetas that dated as far back as the 16th Century. Naturally the incredibly long service life of these Spanish colonial pieces meant that they eventually degraded to the point of becoming unusable and were simply discarded. By comparison, the Eastern portion of the U.S. was settled rather quickly; meaning that Colonial guns from this region were generally used for sporting purposes rather than subsistence or self defense; meaning Eastern pieces are often found in barely-used condition.
This particular piece is an excellent example of a Spanish commercial pistol. The use of such pistols in New Spain is well documented; and they are mentioned in numerous reference materials including the excellent book, Spanish Military Weapons in Colonial America 1700-1821 by Sydney Brinkenhoff and Pierce Chamberlain.
These commercial pistols were primarily produced during the mid 18th Century; during the height of Spain's Viceroyalty in North America. The "commercial-quality" pieces were made specifically for export and use among Spain's numerous colonial interests. They are denoted by their focus on robust reliability rather than the delicate fragile designs that were popular among buyers on the Spanish mainland. Commercial quality guns tended to feature large miquelet locks and thick barrels, with minimal decoration and simple, minimal furniture that would both stand up to abuse and be easy to replace if broken.
What's also interesting to note is that Brinkenhoff and Chamberlain write that because these pistols were built for the purpose of export; meaning that not only does this pistol date back to the era of Spanish colonial control in North America, it's also very likely that it was in America during that same time period.
This particular pistol is in excellent condition. The miqulet lock functions correctly with a solid half and full cock and a stout main spring.
The stock is very nice and has no cracks, splits, or other damage. The original silver wire inlay is still mostly intact, with only one or two of the small wire strands missing from the design.
The unusual brass trigger guard was made from shaped sheet brass and is original to the gun. This type of simple trigger guard was both cheap to make and easy to repair or replace, and is well documented on a number of other colonial pistols featured in Brinkenhoff and Chamberlain's book.
The 10" barrel is in great condition and features a smooth grey patina that matches the lock. The bore measures roughly .60 caliber and is in good shape with no major rust or pitting.
This is the perfect pistol for a Colonial American/18th Century buff. Sure everybody has a European fowling piece in their collection but who has a Spanish blunderbuss pistol? This one is sure to be a conversation starter.
