Quote Originally Posted by JMorganKuberry View Post
The brass pistol was my first choice but as near as I can tell no one sells them anymore.

I ordered a MTV RHR pistol but a local unit says they prefer people to carry the Murdoch so I changed my order. This was back in March. Now I am reading on here that MTV guns are dangerous to use and I'm considering canceling my order and eating the 20% cancellation fee. I'd like to at least take my flintlock pistol to a firing range a couple times. Can anyone provide a link to someone that sells a safe Murdoch or regimental issue pistol?
I cannot say, nor will I say, that all these pistols are dangerous. My comment concerned the one that I own and have been able to examine carefully over a period of time. All the "Murdoch" pistols on the market currently are made in India by several companies. Some may be better than others but I, personally, would not fire any of these guns with ball. They have not been proofed, the metallurgy is uncertain as are the construction methods. Some people have owned and shot these guns for years without issue, others have had problems. The decision is yours.

As far as the authenticity of the Murdoch...it really is not. The stock is clunky, the rams horns are too big. It has none of the graceful lines of the originals. The lock is not a Highland Lock. The trigger does not resemble any trigger I have seen on an original Scottish all metal pistol and I have seen a lot of them. The overall appearance of the pistol is just not authentic. I think you can say it sort of resembles a Scottish pistol but that is the best I can do, at least.

Good luck in your search. By the way, when the Scottish regiments got to America and found out they would be fighting in dense forests, they began to shed equipment and alter their uniforms. By the end of the war, the average soldier preferred a musket and bayonet over the pistol, sword and dirk, which was reported to HQ by their officers in the field. In 1776 they were told to turn in their swords and pistols and apparently most did so willingly. Officers retained these weapons, of course.