A U.S. Model 1836 flintlock pistol in .54 caliber, made by R. Johnson, with the lock plate dated 1841. It is listed as a used antique handgun, but the seller describes it as finished in the bright and looking as if it had just left the factory. The wood is rated great, with handsome cartouches still visible, and the action is tight and crisp.

Bright metal, a crisp action and surviving cartouches are the three things buyers of Model 1836 pistols ask about first, and this one has all of them, with the 1841 lock date giving it a firm place in a collection. A Delaware collector assembling United States martial flintlocks gets a Johnson-made example that needs nothing done to it. Display it as it stands; the condition is the whole appeal of the piece.

Key features

• .54 caliber flintlock by R. Johnson
• Lock plate dated 1841
• Metal in the bright
• Great wood with handsome cartouches
• Tight, crisp action

It ships to the Delaware FFL dealer you select, who will take photo ID, Form 4473 and the background check before you walk out with it.