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Item No.:	10752	Price :	$2,995.00
Item :	JOHN MILES COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA 1797 CONTRACT MUSKET

Description :

This is an original Flintlock Musket made for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by John Miles of Philadelphia. Authorized by the Legislative Act of 1797, these muskets are closely copied from the French Model 1763 Charleville Musket. Miles made 4,000 of these muskets for Pennsylvania. The lock is marked "MILES" over "CP". The CP marking for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was a requisite of the contract. The .69 caliber barrel is also marked with "CP" and an oval with a tiny Liberty Cap over the letter "P". This musket is in antique fine condition. The barrel has a steel gray patina with a sprinkling of brown. The brown is heavier in the area around the pan. The iron stock mountings are mostly a smooth dark brown. The butt plate has some rough texture in places. The lock works well mechanically. The bore is dark and heavily pitted. The stock is in very good condition, but there are a couple of thin cracks. One runs forward from the lock plate to the barrel channel about three inches. There is a very short crack at the back of the lock plate. There is a crack on the left side of the stock running from the side plate to the barrel channel about an inch long. The crack at the front of the lock shows a very old repair with two small metal pins holding the wood in place. The left flat of the stock is stamped "WESTPHAL". I just plain don't know the significance of that. There is a Westphal college in Philadelphia and a Westfall Township in Pike County. Who knows? If you are a student of Pennsylvania history, you have to have a 1797 contract musket. Stock no. 32278

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