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Originally Posted by kahnjar1
Just picked this monster up and posted here for comment.
The overall length is 71" (1.8m) long with a 55" (1.4m) barrel. Overall decorated with brass studs and red beads? coral?. The barrel, apart from a short section at the muzzle and breech end, is overwrapped with decorated brass and copper. There is no rammer and it was made without one. There is no tube or method of attaching a rammer to the gun, so I assume it must have been carried separately. The smoothbore is approx. 15mm.
Very nice Snaphaunce lock in good working order, with a small silver inlet plate below the cock.
Plenty of pics.....Enjoy
Stu
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Salaams Khanjar 1, I can confirm coral....
I found a reasonable historical note at
http://www.musee-infanterie.com/obje...ilex--mukahla-
Here is some of the detail Quote "The mukahla is characteristic of other guns by the length of its barrel, the shape of her butt as well as share its decoration most often made with inlaid ivory and silver .
A weapon of hunting and a weapon of war, it is , by the richness of its ornaments , a symbol of the power of a chief of a tribe or the social rank of a warrior .
The design of this rifle traditional local is influenced from the XVI th century by the import of weapons to fire European . In the XIX th century , the cannon guns are acquired from various countries such as Great Britain .
The defeat of Isly (1844) and Tetouan (1860) encourage the Sultan Moulay Hassan to create a factory of guns in Fez , city imperial , in order to escape to the dependence vis-à-vis from abroad .
The mukahla uses the powdered black as the other weapons to fire his time .
This black powder is a mixture of three components : charcoal ; potassium nitrate , or saltpeter and sulfur . By burning this mixture gives off of large quantities of smoke and a large volume of gas capable of launching a projectile. Travelers from the Arab world , who were in contact with the Far East, Would have apparently acquired the secret of the powder whose origin is attributed to China. It spread later on roadsides commercial and reached Europe .
It must however note two drawbacks major related to the use of powdered black:
- the cloud of smoke that prevents after a few shots to distinguish the objective ;
- rapid fouling of the barrel. The powder by consuming releases the half of its weight in gas and the other half by depositing solid . This deposit is not expelled with the gas and it lining the inside of the barrel.
The mukahla is equipped with from the XVII e century a mechanism of setting of fire called " platinum to chenapan " system origin Nordic from the edges of the Baltic" .Unquote.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.