What is this gun?

[SierraNevada817]

So, during WWII, my great grandfather was deployed to Africa, then to France on D-Day. He was a paratrooper and was deployed a few miles inland and helped secure Normandy from Nazi control, along with the men he was deployed with. At some point after that (I'm not sure when), he met a French soldier who was looking to trade his flintlock rifle for some cigarettes. My great grandfather never smoked, but always carried them as, in his own words, "During war, cigarettes become more precious than gold." So, for only two packs of cigarettes, the Frenchman gave my great grandfather his flintlock. I inherited it from him when he died, and to this day I haven't got the slightest clue what it is. There's no discernible markings on the gun, and it's kinda beat up. My guess is that it's Napoleonic or from the French Revolution, but I haven't got any idea what I'm talking about. Do you guys maybe know?

 

[AlexanderA]

Judging by the finger grooves behind the trigger guard, it looks like it started out as a French Model 1777 musket (or one of its variants). It's been altered by being cut down, and having the trigger replaced -- just to note the obvious changes. This is a typical Napoleonic gun that was adapted for civilian use.

 

[Jim Watson]

Yup
Sporterizing Army surplus has been going on for a long, long time.

 

[SierraNevada817]

Judging by the finger grooves behind the trigger guard, it looks like it started out as a French Model 1777 musket (or one of its variants). It's been altered by being cut down, and having the trigger replaced -- just to note the obvious changes. This is a typical Napoleonic gun that was adapted for civilian use.

Thanks dude! Any guess for the price range? It's in rough shape (the wood is chipped on one side and the stock is pretty beat up), so I doubt it would be worth as much as a clean model.

 

[AlexanderA]

Thanks dude! Any guess for the price range? It's in rough shape (the wood is chipped on one side and the stock is pretty beat up), so I doubt it would be worth as much as a clean model.

If complete and intact, such a gun would retail for about $2,000. (The Pedersoli reproduction sells for $1,450.) In the condition yours is in, a collector would buy it only for parts (the lock and some of the other fittings). But it has sentimental value to you because of the family connection. Appreciate it for what it is and don't worry about the value.

BTW, it has no markings because the French military ground them off before releasing these guns as surplus. This supports the civilian provenance.

ETA: I have to say that the lock appears to be in very fine shape (except for the lack of markings). No buggered-up screw heads, etc. The trigger guard is likewise in fine shape. These parts could be quite valuable to someone restoring a musket with missing parts.

 

[luger fan]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. He is SO right about smokes. They, unlike cash, had value. Need someone to take a LP, or patrol. Smokes were the currency of the day.

 

[22250Rem]

Interesting to see this thread revived............. I was wondering what the OP could do to get an appraisal on a piece like that? It's not as though they are real common so there's not much of a market for them, it would be a narrow "niche" market, but still a market. It's got some real good family history but it would still be good idea to get a professional estimate of its value just for the sake of knowing; even if there's no intention of selling it.