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Originally Posted by trenchwarfare
Thanks for your observations Ibrahiim. The barrel looks to be made the length it is, not cut back. The muzzle is "swamped", and the decorations terminate there. I don't really think it's a recent copy. It exhibits signs of long use, and carry, with multiple replacements, and repairs. The lock could be a replacement, as it is a typical mispelled copy. The trigger guard is a replacement, as it doesn't quite fit the mortise.
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Salaams trenchwarfare ~ I suspect that the barrel is a cutback variant. A lot of barrels blew up at the first join (that being the logical weakest link) and some were made into these pistol half long gun types. Other weapons with short barrels were made as childrens' guns. It would have been easy for a gunsmith / workshops to braize the end of this shortened barrel and flare it out~ and add the foresight... and if required decorate accordingly with floral motifs. Though on your barrel the decoration seems to be original in that it conveniently stops in the right place at the aparrent end of the first barrel section. The questions are...1. Is this a children's gun? 2.Is this a cut back long barrel? 3. Is this a deliberately made short weapon?
It is in my opinion a children's gun made from a cutback barrel..etc
For interest here are a couple of matchlock barrels which blew at the first join. Easy to imagine them remodeled like yours. This in no way detracts from the type which moreover underpins the cottage industry in the Khyber region whose stock in trade was after all products from the weapons forge and where the entire family were involved; apprentices and all. This weapon has all the hall marks of this industry... reworked woodwork... replacement, copied lock ....recycled barrel and redecoration where required in the traditional manner.
Like a lot of workshops they never paid much attention to the trigger guard.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.