M1772 flintlock pistol
The M1772 is by far the most common flintlock pistol in Norway (and probably also in Denmark). There were made a total of more than 10 000 in two main batches over a period of some 17 years. The first batch made 1772-79 had black stained beech stocks (these are the ones that one most often find in Norway) and from 1785-89 they were made with brown stained stocks.
One also finds the M1772 with birch stocks. These are most probably stocks made for replacement in Norway as we hardly have beech and the Danes hardly used birch-stocks.
The M1772 is the only DkN pistol that ever was rebuilt to percussion in Norway – as the M1772/1855 cavalry pistol -and then only in very limited numbers.
The picture at the bottom of the page seemingly shows three different versions of the M1772. The pistol at the top is a M1772. I believed the one in the middle was a 1798 restock and shortening of the M1772, but if you look closely at the picture you see that the but plate tangs are much narrower than on the M1772, the trigger guard is also smaller and the pistol is “chunkier”. This is a M1806 that probably never saw use in Norway. The last pistol is the Norwegian cavalry version M1772/1855.
