This is a scarce J-shaped combination tool for the US Models 1813 and 1816 Flintlock Pistols, as made by Simeon North. According to Shaffer, Rutledge & Dorsey in their book Gun Tools – Their History and Identification (Volume I) the first time that “screwdrivers” and “ball screws” were part of a pistol contract was in 1813 with Simeon North’s contract for the Model 1813 Flintlock Pistol.  The screwdrivers were to be delivered and issued at a ratio of one tool per ten pistols, so the numbers produced were relatively low and the numbers that survive today are much lower. A total of 1,626 Model 1813 pistols were delivered by North circa 1813-1815, with 19,374 Model 1816 pistols being produced circa 1817-1820. With only 21,000 total pistols of these patterns delivered by North, only 2,100 of the “J” shaped screwdrivers would have been produced initially, although additional tools were likely procured over time to replace those that were damaged or lost in service.

These J shaped combination tools were nominally 3 1/8” in overall length, with the longer arm of the tool terminating in a screwdriver that was unbeveled and was nominally 5/16” wide. The shorter arm was nominally 1 9/16” in length and tapered to a narrower, rounded tip than the main body of the tool, and was intended to be used as a wrench to tighten the jaw of the flintlock’s cock. The shorter arm of the tool would pass through the hole in the top jaw screw and the tool would provide the leverage to tighten and loosen the tension on the top jaw. The body of the tool was about 1/8” thick at its thickest point and the width of the tool, across the two arms of the tool was nominally 1 1/8”. As the tools were handmade, there was some minor variance in the dimensions of the tools and the examples I have measured, and the measurements given in Gun Tools – Their History and Identification (Volume I) and of extant examples typically vary by about one sixteenth of an inch. The North produced tools were marked US on the arm with the screwdriver, near the bend in the neck and were also usually inspected with a single letter, like an “M”, “W” or “H”. Page 148 of Volume I pictures and discusses these tools.

The example of the Simeon North 1813 & 1816 Pistol J Tool offered here remains in about GOOD+ to NEAR VERY GOOD condition. The tool has a dark grayish-black patina that is likely the result of the hardening process combined with age. Most tools of this period are “blackened” with the dark blue-black finish being a result of the manufacturing process and not necessarily the result of intentional finish application. The metal shows moderate oxidation and some evenly scattered pitting on the surfaces. The screwdriver blade still remains crisp, and the tip is not chipped or broken. The tool measures 3 1/8” in overall length with the screwdriver blade 5/16” wide and the metal tool body about 1/8” thick at the thickest areas. The width across the two branches of the tool is 1 5/32” and the shorter arm measures about 1 9/16” in length. A small US is stamped on the obverse of the main arm of the tool, near the bend in the tool’s body and is followed by a smaller M inspection mark. It is not clear if this mark was that of a factory inspector or a US arsenal sub-inspector. A review of the known US inspectors of North’s 1813 and 1816 pistol contracts did not find an arsenal inspector with a last name that started with “M”, but there were arsenal inspectors working during that period with last names starting with an “M”, like Justin Murphy.

If you collect American military gun tools, these J-shaped flintlock pistol tools are rather difficult to find due to their low production numbers and relatively high attrition rate, as they were very easy to lose in the field. This would be a nice, solid example with good markings to add to the display of your Simeon North US Model 1813 or Model 1816 Flintlock Pistol or to your gun tool collection. These tools do not appear for sale very often and this is solid and fairly priced example.

SOLD