Welcome to at this time’s Picture of the Day! Right here we’ve got an exceptionally uncommon J.G. Dachtine enclosed lock, waterproof flintlock sporting gun from round 1780. This gun is predicated on a 1775 British patent by Henry Nock, William Jover, and John Inexperienced for a totally enclosed flintlock mechanism that promised to get rid of flash, smoke, and climate points.
The British patent claimed the design might be left within the rain for a complete day and nonetheless fireplace with out re-priming. The lock mechanism is totally hidden contained in the motion – press a stud on the appropriate facet, and the highest cowl pops open to disclose the flintlock inside. The dished rear sight is constructed into that cowl and slides to interact the highest fringe of the frizzen when closed. From the surface, there’s no seen indication that is even a flintlock. No pan, no frizzen, no exterior mechanism in any respect.
The idea was good for the period. Flintlock ignition programs had been notoriously weak to climate, and the flash and smoke from the pan may obscure your goal on the worst potential second. An enclosed system solved each issues whereas additionally defending the mechanism from filth and harm. Continental makers like Dachtine in Aachen acknowledged the worth and created their very own variations, although this instance lacks the patented gasoline escape tube that the British designers integrated.
What’s uncommon is the rifling: straight grooves working the size with some narrower grooves solely on the muzzle. That’s an unusual method, presumably an try to stability accuracy with ease of loading. The 2-stage barrel development, the place the breech part varieties a part of the motion, reveals refined manufacturing.
The enclosed lock design by no means caught on broadly regardless of its benefits. The mechanisms had been complicated, costly to supply, and troublesome to keep up in comparison with typical flintlocks. By the point percussion ignition appeared within the 1820s, the entire idea was out of date. These weapons stay fascinating examples of late 18th century innovation – elegant options to actual issues that had been just too difficult to compete with easier, cheaper options.
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Distinctive/Uncommon Scarce Engraved J.G. Dachtine “Waterproof” Enclosed Lock Flintlock Sporting Gun From the Well-known Henk L. Visser Assortment | Rock Island Public sale, www.rockislandauction.com/element/1049/480/jg-dachtine-waterproof-enclosed-lock-flintlock-sporting-gun. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
