ODD BALKAN PISTOL
 

Here is a really unusual pistol I purchased a few years ago to make into a shooter. The butt cap and grip of the stock look similar to Albanian. Carved in somewhat a crude fashion. But it has a high quality, silver mounted Ottoman lock. All the silver wire inlay in the stock is there, done in typical Balkan style. Most of the silver on the lock is in place. Lock in perfect working order. Thought maybe the lock was a period replacement, but there is no evidence of later wood carving in the lock mortice. It fits this lock perfectly. (Although it could still be a period replacement). And the breech plug for the barrel had good quality threads similar to Turkish barrels. Hmmm....
Maybe the pistol was assembled using parts that were just lying around at the moment? :shrug: Anyway, picture heavy so hope you enjoy.
Rick.

SOME MORE PICS.......

ONE MORE SHOWING THE BORE. YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL IT HAS A LINER. I'VE SHOT THIS GUN A DOZEN TIMES. SHOOTS GOOD.

Hi Rick,
As you say, an unusual pistol. No decoration forward of the lock, but plenty behind it. Trigger plate I note is missing. Do you plan to replace it? I assume that the barrel is held in place with pins? No facility for rammer either?
Stu

Hi Rick,
Another nice pistol: The lock is splendid.
I guess you bought it for the lock.
As far I know there is no trigger guard on this kind of pistol.
It's a kind of Balkanic pistol, a rat tail with wooden stock.
I have seen several like this.
Best,
Kubur

I mentioned no trigger PLATE....not guard.

Hi Stu.
You know, when you look at the photo above, it does look like the trigger plate is missing. But it IS there. LOL It's a simple piece of iron with two nails in it. The iron is just darkened enough to make it look missing in the photo.
Rick.

Maybe it was a polite way to say that you should clean it...
:)

Hi Kubur.
Thanks. You're right. The lock is what I was most interested in. I remember when I first viewed this gun from just 3-4 poor quality photos, I thought maybe it was a tourist item that someone added a nice lock to latter. But the asking price was low enough that it was worth the purchase just to get the lock off it for my lock collection. But after receiving it I realized it had a good quality barrel. And I couldn't believe it still had all the silver and brass wire intact on the stock. And the wire was inlayed nicely, not like the tourist items. I guess the somewhat crude shaping of the grip with an oversized lock makes it look somewhat thrown together. LOL. Now that I think about it, this was the first Mid-East type gun I made into a shooter. (The dark side was controlling me at the time LOL). Well, it isn't the first or last Balkan made gun we've seen with a real mix of styling cultures. LOL Even the forend of the stock is done more in the Caucasian manner.
Rick.

LOL! Well, yes you're right. The whole gun needs a minor cleaning and a small amount of Ren wax on the stock. It's hard keeping all these guns cleaned :o

By the way, yes, the barrel is held to the fore end of the stock with a single pin. Which was not difficult to get out, but a real bugger to get back in. The pin was actually bent in a curve to fit the stock. Had to make a new pin from a finishing nail and slightly bending a little at a time while re-installing it.
Rick.

Well actually no, there was absolutely no intent to suggest that anything about the gun needed cleaning. To me the plate LOOKED to be missing and I guess it was that the two nails were so obvious that it looked that way.
Stu

My opinion is that it is a weapon made ​​from various antique pieces different weapons of the 17th-18th century to standards a rat tail pistol 19th century .The mechanism has from sisana (long ottoman weapon) from 17th-18th century ( photo ) or from Caucasian early flintlock pistol.
Stelios