Johann Christoph Kuchenreuter was a member of the famous gun making dynasty centered in Regensburg, Germany during the 18th and 19th centuries. He was born in 1755 to Johann Andreas Kuchenreuter and became gun maker to the Princes of Thurn and Taxis. During the Napoleonic Wars his workshop was looted and partially destroyed by French troops in 1809, a blow from which he claimed never to have fully recovered. He died in 1818, and having no direct heirs left his house and workshop to his nephew Johann Adam Kuchenreuter. Dating to circa 1800 this pistol has a blued multi-groove rifled barrel with silver front sight and silver inlaid scrolls and signature, the latter inlaid along a near full length sighting flat “J. CHRISTOPH KUCHENREITER” (a known variant of the spelling of the Kuchenreuter name). A brass lined maker's stamp is present at the breech comprising a mounted horseman above the initials “I.C.K.” (Der Neue Stockel, no. 640). Burnished steel barrel tang and rounded lock, the former incorporating the rear sight of one standing and two folding leaves, the latter with roller frizzen and signed “JOH. CHRISTOPH KUCHENREITER”. Burnished trigger plate with single blued set trigger. Well figured walnut full length stock carved in relief with beadwork and foliage around the barrel tang, foliage on the underside of the forearm, and raised moldings around the lock and ramrod channel. The semi fish tail butt is finely checkered and has a raised blank burnished steel lozenge shaped cap which twists off to reveal an aperture for the attachment of a shoulder stock. The side plate, trigger guard and ramrod pipes are of dark horn, and the original horn ramrod has an iron cleaning loop.

Very good. The barrel retains some period refinished blued finish, the silver inlay is discolored but apparently without significant loss. The burnished steel parts are crisp and bright, some old dried oil in sheltered areas on the lock. The stock has bold figuring, crisp relief carving and some scattered minor age related storage and handling blemishes. The horn mounts have some age related surface scratches, some minor chips to the trigger guard bow and a small crack around the rear trigger guard retaining screw. Mechanically excellent. A solid representative example of a classic Kuchenreuter flintlock pistol.

As described in “A”, the horn ramrod with an iron worm.

Very good. The barrel has lost more period refinished blued finish than “A” and has some patches of corrosion marking. The lock has some light surface corrosion spotting, and the twist off cap on the butt is a dull grey patina with light surface corrosion spotting. The stock is in comparable condition to “A”, the horn mounts being in marginally better condition than “A”. Mechanically excellent.