[Anders Lindkvist]

Some time ago I bought a musket just for the fun of it, later after some research it turned out to be a english Brown bess that has been modified from flintlock to percussion. The swedish armies was supplied with english rifles in the late 1700, early 1800. Some of the were converted later on, this could be one of those. My examples i one of the late versions of the Brown bess, second part of the 18th C. Its missing its original ramrod and a screw for the barreltang. Otherwise the condition is ok.

But, my question is, should I convert it back to flintlock? Perhaps look for a original look to replace the current one? Should I avoid a reproductionlock? It would be somewhat interesting to make it more original. Changing locks is not a permanent operation, its possible to switch back.

I´m no real expert on this so please give me your thoughts.

[M. Eversberg II]

You *could* give it to me .

But in seriousness, I'd keep it as-is. It represents a particular piece in history, and to me is more valuable that way.

M.

[Sean Flynt]

Is BB hardware interchangeable? I assumed they were still using individual craftsmen for the final fitting of each part due to a lack of mechanized production. Could be that a replacement flint lock would be a near-fit but would still need some filing or removal of wood. That could cause you some grief. The drum could be another potential problem. Do those screw into the vent hole of the BB? If so, you'd need more than just the lock--you'd need the proper vent liner for flint--possibly harder to find. If the flint was originally just bored straight into the barrel I assume the percussion conversion required re-boring that hole to a larger diameter. I don't know, though. This could be more than a matter of removing a few screws.

EDIT: Just found this bit of info on the site of a BB reproduction maker:

"Typically only the better quality London made guns were factory fitted with vent liners, but nearly all flint guns were later fitted with vent liners, after the vent hole in the barrel became worn from flash erosion, corrosion, or the aggressive use of a vent pick."

[Lin Robinson]