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A VERY FINE JOHN TWIGG SINGLE BARREL FLINTLOCK

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:6,000.00 USD Estimated At:12,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
A VERY FINE JOHN TWIGG SINGLE BARREL FLINTLOCK

RIFLE EX. W. KEITH NEAL COLLECTION. Cal. 60. 9 groove rifling. S# NSN. John Fox Twigg was the preeminent London gunmaker from about 1770 until his death in 1790 when his business was continued by his nephew, John Bass who died in 1795. Twigg was responsible for beginning the high reputation given to the London gun trade. His apprentices included Durs Egg and John Manton who became his shop foreman until he went on his own in 1781. This fine rifle made around 1775 has 28 1/8" swamped octagon barrel of skelp twist with under rib. Top flat is engraved "Twigg" in script and "LONDON". Barrel is fitted with one standing and one folding leaf rear and brass bead front sights. Bottom right flat is stamped with London gunmakers proofs and "IT" under a crown. Touch hole is gold lined. Breech iron is nicely scroll engraved. Second Twigg style flint lock with rebated tail, flat faced serpentine cock, rounded pan, bridled roller frizzen and feather spring with bulbous finial and teat. Lock has file decoration behind fence and ovolo moulded edge to plate and cock. Center of plate is engraved "Twigg". Lock is fitted with back sliding safety which engages at half cock and also bolts frizzen. Trigger with bulbous blade is "set". Wooden trigger guard has inlet steel reinforcing band which ends in acorn finial. Steel buttplate has scroll engraving on top tang. A patchbox with sliding wooden cover is found on right side of butt which contains some cast balls, brass powder measure, steel worm and a note signed "W. Keith Neal 5/8/60" relating how well this rifle shot and with load information. Also included is an original W. Keith Neal Collection tag number "G395". Horn tipped half stock of plain European walnut features swept right hand cheekpiece, very widely spaced square checkering at grip with dot punched centers of diamonds and very nicely carved ribbons and shell in high relief around barrel tang. A silver oval at top of grip is engraved with the monogram "JHC" surmounted by a hedgehog passant. The crest of James Harris, Diplomat, created 1st Baron Malmesbury 1788. Stock attaches to barrel with two captive sidebolts without escutcheons. What appears to be the original hickory ramrod with horn tip and long steel tail mounts through two beaded pipes and matching thimble. CONDITION: very good, barrel retaining nearly all of a good quality re brown with fine pattern visible. Other iron and steel parts show light cleaning to relatively smooth light gray to silver patina. Stock appears to have had a light oil refinish over some fairly deep marks and a great number of subsequent light marks. Patchbox cover shows repair at rear behind thumbprint. Bore is bright and shiny with at few scattered light pits toward muzzle. Lock is very fine, safety operable. This rifle was offered at the 2001 Christie's sale of the W. Keith Neal Collection. (01-21900/MGM). ANTIQUE. $12,000-15,000.