[Anandalal N.]

I would ask you to consider a couple of aspects. Firstly, the basic elements of the pistol seems to be well fashioned. The wood, the brass trigger guard and butt tang, and the lock seem to belong together. The ornamentation on the barrel and the lock are at stark contrast therewith. So consider the possibility that the ornamentation of the barrel and lock could have been introduced subsequently. Overall the gun to me seems of European manufacture and design whilst the ornamentation on the barrel and the lock could be Indian. Could you post a photograph of the tang button of the butt tang. Pl. note that I have not included the barrel in the list of original components. I am uncertain about the barrel and feel that there is a posibility that it was introduced too. The damamge in the wood would be consistent with that. The barrel is rounded thorughout and the barrel tang also is not consistent with European design in my opinion. If you are looking at the ornamentation elements I would look at the barrel and lock seperately and the elements on the wood, and the brass seperately. The lock itself which is one of the critical elements in a firearm seems to be of European manufacture. As for age I would go for the 19th century.