Sea service pistol. The pistol has a walnut stock with a plain, slightly domed brass butt cap, which is fitted with a lanyard iron ring, a plain brass trigger guard, a simple brass ramrod pipe and a plain brass fore-end cap. The iron ramrod is mounted in a swivelling iron stirrup below the muzzle. An iron belt hook is also fitted. The lock is a percussion sidelock. The barrel is circular, smoothbore and fitted with a bead foresight and has a broad V-shaped rearsight. The calibre is 0.570in.
The pistol is inscribed on the stock with the names 'W Boden' and 'T Turner'. It is also decorated on the stock with a crown over the number '38', a crown over the letter 'B' and over the number '27'. The barrel is decorated with a crown over the letters 'TP', which are in turn over an arrow. There is also a crown over the letter 'B' which in turn is over the number '9', along with a crown over an arrow. The lockplate is decorated with a crown over 'VR 1855', along with the word 'TOWER'. The percussion system of igniting a firearm was adopted in the 1830s and the Navy adopted this type of pistol in 1841.