Flintlock Chief's Grade Northwest Trade Gun by Jacot

.60 caliber. 36" three-stage octagonal to round pinned barrel. SN: NSN. Browned finish, brass furniture, walnut stock. Lightly engraved reconverted flint lock marked "W. JACOT" under pan. Lock with roller frizzen and fenced and bridled rounded iron pan. Faceted swan neck cock a replacement. Barrel with weak "{CROWN}/GR/{BROAD ARROW}" Board of Ordnance inspection, but no accompanying "Broad Arrow" is present on the lock. Brass furniture lightly engraved with panoplies of arms on the triggerguard bow and simple martial motifs on the side plate and buttplate tang. Wrist with German silver Indian Chief thumb plate. This gun is a conundrum, as are the handful of other Jacot marked trade guns. William Jacot was Liverpool based, with Blackmore listing him as a "Merchant & Gun Manufacturer" and his working dates at 1847-1857. DeWitt Bailey lists him in Liverpool in 1847 and both note that he marked some guns "London". Jim Gordon, in Volume I of his three volume set Great Gunmakers for the Early West lists Jacot as working circa 1830-1857 and the two examples pictured in his book both appear to be the products of other makers, or at least assembled from parts made by Barnett and Ketland. This suggests that Jacot may have been much more of a "Merchant" than "Gun Maker". Gordon further notes that Jacot's first contract for trade guns was in 1837 with the American Fur Company. This one is interesting in that it utilizes a British military Board of Ordnance marked barrel. An attractive Chief's Grade trade gun from a scarce maker.

The Collection of Larry Ness