POTD: Prussian Potsdam Model 1809 – Flintlock Converted to Percussion

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Prussian Potsdam Model 1809 percussion conversion rifle-musket with buttplate tang and barrel dated 1832.

The base gun started life as a flintlock. The 1832 date tells you when Prussia decided to modernize it, pulling the flintlock hardware and fitting percussion ignition instead. Practical move. Percussion caps were more reliable in wet weather and the conversion preserved a serviceable barrel and stock rather than scrapping the whole gun.

.69 caliber smoothbore, 41-inch barrel. Standard military musket dimensions for the era. The mixed gray patina and pitting on this example reflect close to 200 years of existence, which is worth keeping in perspective. Stock repairs and carving indicate it actually saw use after conversion, not just storage.

Prussia ran a lot of these conversions rather than buying entirely new arms, which kept costs down while incrementally updating the ignition system across existing inventory. Some of these converted Potsdam muskets reportedly ended up in the wars of German unification in the 1860s, which would put nearly 60 years of service on them by that point.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Prussian Potsdam Model 1809 Percussion Conversion Rifled Musket.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5032/114/prussian-potsdam-model-1809-percussion-conversion-rifled-musket. Accessed 28 May 2026.

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