Hollis & Sheath Screw-Barrel .40 Cal. Percussion Antique Coat Pistol

Howdy Gunpost. This is a fine English pocket or coat pistol made by Hollis and Sheath company which is the precursor to Hollis and Sons or Isaac Hollis and Sons. Wallace and sheath became Hollis and Sons in 1861 when Isaac Brentnall Sheath left the company to immigrate to Canterbury, Australia and raised sheep and owned coal mines in an area that is now a suburb of Melbourne. His gun making days were behind him, he'd become an industrialist down undah.

Sheath & Hollis co-founded the company in 1849 and Sheath stayed with the company until as previously stated, 1861. That dates this firearm between 1849 and 1861.

This is a single shot side hammer lock percussion pistol. It's a screw-barrel meaning you unthread the barrel, fill the powder chamber and place a ball on top it. You then use the barrel itself and the threads to seat the ball inside of the breach. Then a percussion cap on the nipple, put it at half cock put it in your dapper overcoat and pull it out should you meet any Scallywags on your travels.

The gun is mechanically excellent. The bore condition is very good, there is some minor shallow pitting but overall the rifling is very sharp and clean and shiny. The overall exterior condition of the metal and wood is in excellent shape the diamond checkering are sharp and defined. The powder chamber has only minor pitting as pictured and was cleaned out internally. 

For a defensive coat pistol, the sights are excellent and easy to pick up and with a rifled bore in good condition I expect this pistol could be fired very accurately.

To shoot this gun I would use 3F powder. Both number 10 and 11 caps fit the nipple reasonably well. A 40 caliber lead ball would be ideal as a projectile but you could definitely use .375 caliber balls with a patch no problem in my opinion. I haven't tried it myself though.

The pistol is located in Calgary AB for local delivery or pickup. Or I can ship it nationwide too.