Hirschfanger Pistol Sword .40 Cal 5″ Barrel 21″ Blade Percussion Antique
SOLD FOR: $1,722.00
LSB#: LSB260622FM241
Make: Unknown
Model: Hirschfanger-Style Percussion Pistol Sword
Serial Number: NSNV
Year of Manufacture: Circa 1820-1850 / Antique
Caliber: .40 Caliber, Smoothbore
Action Type: Single-Shot Percussion Muzzleloading Pistol Built into a Sword Hilt
Barrel Length: 5″, Round Smoothbore, with a 21″ Damascus Sword Blade with a Single Fuller on Each Side
Sights / Optics: The top of the barrel is plain.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grip is fitted with wood panels mounted between brass furniture. The right panel is dark wood with an engraved brass sunburst sideplate secured by two slotted screws; the left panel is a visibly lighter streaked-wood replacement secured by a single slotted screw. The panels show honest handling wear with lightened patches and no cracks or chips. Overall, the stock rates in Fair condition as antique given the replacement left panel.
Type of Finish: In the White, Brass, Case-Colored
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The smoothbore is dark. There is erosion throughout the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 3/10.
Overall Condition: This piece retains about 40% of its original finish. The barrel and the Damascus sword blade stand in the white under a mottled grey patina with scattered dark spotting; the blade’s fuller and spear point are intact and its edge shows no major damage. The brass hilt furniture carries engraved scroll, foliage, and a grotesque-mask pommel with honest patina. The round brass clamshell counterguard sits loose to the hilt with a visible gap at the blade junction. All markings are described above.
Mechanics: The action functions properly. The hammer holds at full and half cock. The steel trigger releases crisply. We did not fire this firearm. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: This is a sword with a pistol built into its hilt, the classic German hirschfanger combination weapon carried by huntsmen and gentlemen, and its percussion ignition places it in the early-to-mid 19th century. A 5″ .40 caliber smoothbore percussion barrel lies along the spine of a 21″ Damascus blade with a single fuller on each side, and the brass hilt is fitted with a knuckle-bow trigger guard, a deeply engraved clamshell counterguard with a scallop-shell motif, and a pommel cast as a grotesque animal head whose mouth receives the guard’s rear terminal.
Weighing the piece honestly, the bore is dark and eroded, the clamshell sits loose to the hilt, and the left grip panel is a replacement. Even so, the engraving remains bold, the lock functions as it should, and the combination itself is the draw for the collector of early arms.
-MY