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07-14-2018, 03:39 PM
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Identification ornate flintlock rifle
My wife doesn't like the bull horns that I have in my office. When I showed her an embellished old rifle at auction, she decided to bid, as she thought it would "improve the flavor of the room". She then suggested that I pull the horns down and hang the rifle. Boy was she surprised to learn that the horns were actually a rifle rack.
Now to the rifle. It looks like an "artist" had their way with this old thing. Lots of inlay and metal work. Lots of turquoise. Maybe an aspiring jeweler? There is what appears to be a hand signature on the butt stock. Someone has used a grinder or brush to knock off rust/patina in the past before bedazzling this ancient rifle. Does anyone have any idea what this wall hanger started life as?
One cool part is that all parts move and the action works.
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07-14-2018, 03:43 PM
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07-14-2018, 04:12 PM
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The rifle (if, indeed the barrel is rifled) is of Moorish or North African origin, based on the stock shape and style of ornamentation. The action is not flintlock, but snaphance (sp?), which is similar to, and precedes the flintlock. It functions similarly to the flintlock, but lacks the frizzen/pan cover characteristic of the flintlock.
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07-14-2018, 04:17 PM
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I have no insight to offer as to this specific rifle, but the style is very much reminiscent of Middle Eastern antique guns, Persian, Turkish, or Arab styles. In the bazaars around tourist traps in those countries, those kinds of guns and cheap Indian or Pakistani knock-offs are popular.
Does this look like a serious, once shootable antique underneath the bling?
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07-14-2018, 04:32 PM
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Not to me. It looks just as you described it. Cheap Tourist trap knock off. Barrel looks like a peice of pipe. I was surprised the trigger worked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Absalom
I have no insight to offer as to this specific rifle, but the style is very much reminiscent of Middle Eastern antique guns, Persian, Turkish, or Arab styles. In the bazaars around tourist traps in those countries, those kinds of guns and cheap Indian or Pakistani knock-offs are popular.
Does this look like a serious, once shootable antique underneath the bling?
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07-14-2018, 06:51 PM
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How long do you think I have to keep it up there, before it disappears?
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07-14-2018, 07:55 PM
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I must say that I am glad that my wife tries to buy me firearms. Several years ago, when I was in grad school and money was tight, she spent what must have seemed like a fortune ($160) on a Chiappa 1873 .22 SAA for my Christmas present. On her own accord, she took the kids down to the LGS and they picked out this beauty. I was quite surprised to see that she had involved the kids with such a wonderful gift. I have used it to help teach both of my boys to shoot. These are a couple more of the firearms that I will never sell.
I think, next time, I will show her a triple lock target.
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07-14-2018, 08:11 PM
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I believe that is called a "jezail". If you google that you will find tons of info and pics.
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07-14-2018, 09:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlrhiner
I believe that is called a "jezail". If you google that you will find tons of info and pics.
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While the "jezail" of Afghanistan and Pakistan does show the same decorative patterns and usually has the same kind of antique flintlock or similar ignition, originals are usually characterized by a very distinctive curved stock.
Of course that does not preclude some Khyber Pass shops slapping mock-ups together for the tourist trade, which based on the OP's description his seems to be.
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07-14-2018, 10:03 PM
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Looks North African, and I'd suspect it's the real thing. I have seen a number of the "Tourist" guns, and this one looks better than those. But without seeing and holding it, I couldn't say for sure.
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07-16-2018, 12:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M_conrad_0311
My wife doesn't like the bull horns that I have in my office.
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In Texas we all have our bull horns on the hood of our Cadillacs.
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07-16-2018, 12:44 PM
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Could be a khyber pass gun...
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07-16-2018, 12:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex1001
In Texas we all have our bull horns on the hood of our Cadillacs.
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That is where I got those from, the hood of my father's Caddy. I grew up in Amarillo.
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07-16-2018, 07:41 PM
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I haven't been there for quite a few years, but the King Ranch museum in Kingsville had a Caddy convertible "hunting Jeep" with enormous longhorns as a hood ornament.
See Wikipedia article on North African muskets.
Kabyle musket - Wikipedia
Note the comment "The barrel was retained in the stock by about twelve iron, brass, or silver bands (capucines)."
Last edited by DWalt; 07-16-2018 at 07:50 PM.
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07-16-2018, 07:56 PM
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I spent two years in North Africa in the 1960s, and this looks just like the sort of thing that was being sold back then. But don't knock it, it is serving its purpose beautifully atop those great long horns!! I think it looks great there. I do agree with DWalt, it could be the real thing.Thanks for sharing.
Best Regards, Les
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Last edited by les.b; 07-16-2018 at 07:58 PM.
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07-17-2018, 08:25 PM
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I also spent some time in North Africa (more like 2 months than 3 years, in Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria) and I did see some of the tourist replicas in Souks. They were not nearly as ornamented with all the inlays as this one is and very crudely made. I remember the lockworks on those were something resembling a flintlock, not a snaphance (or snaphaunce) as this one is. The main difference between the earlier snaphance and the later flintlock is that the frizzen (not sure that is what is called on a snaphance) does not cover the priming powder pan, and instead has a different kind of pan cover, usually manually operated.
Last edited by DWalt; 07-17-2018 at 08:32 PM.
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07-17-2018, 10:40 PM
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Well, it has been 50 years since I came back from Africa, so time has taken sort of a toll on my memories of the stuff I saw there!! (Came home in April 1968). I do still have a couple of "decorator" knives that I purchased for next to nothing, which I'll have to see if I can take a picture of to post here to show some of the handiwork that they were doing back then.
Best Regards, Les
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