Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Indian Torador Barrel Investigation

Philip · 19th November 2016, 07:53 AM

Glad to see that someone is taking a project like this on! Looks like you chose a good barrel to work on -- it's clearly twist-forged, a good sign. Years ago, someone gave me a munition-quality torador barrel (Jaipur arsenal, I think) but visual inspection shows dimensional irregularities and an overall lack of attention to craftsmanship that would disqualify it from what you're doing. '

I wonder if the changes in bore diameter in your barrel (especially at the breech) might be due to loss of material from rust, or erosion from extensive firing?

Are you going to replicate the traditional Indian stock and firing mechanism? 'May as well keep it authentic all the way. If the barrel is on the heavier side (did you say cal. .60?), stocking it up like an early Mughal hunting gun with a bipod barrel rest would be neat -- surviving examples are almost non-existent from the era, but we see them in art -- hunt scenes in the Padshah-Nameh, portraits of Shah Jehan, etc. We're talking about beginning 17th cent. But from the guns seen in these album paintings, we can see how the very similar Central Asian, Tibetan, and Chinese muskets originated. Keep us posted on your progress! Too bad the opportunities for shooting tiggers from elephant-back are so limited in the US!

19th November 2016, 07:53 AM	#2
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	Glad to see that someone is taking a project like this on! Looks like you chose a good barrel to work on -- it's clearly twist-forged, a good sign. Years ago, someone gave me a munition-quality torador barrel (Jaipur arsenal, I think) but visual inspection shows dimensional irregularities and an overall lack of attention to craftsmanship that would disqualify it from what you're doing. ' I wonder if the changes in bore diameter in your barrel (especially at the breech) might be due to loss of material from rust, or erosion from extensive firing? Are you going to replicate the traditional Indian stock and firing mechanism? 'May as well keep it authentic all the way. If the barrel is on the heavier side (did you say cal. .60?), stocking it up like an early Mughal hunting gun with a bipod barrel rest would be neat -- surviving examples are almost non-existent from the era, but we see them in art -- hunt scenes in the Padshah-Nameh, portraits of Shah Jehan, etc. We're talking about beginning 17th cent. But from the guns seen in these album paintings, we can see how the very similar Central Asian, Tibetan, and Chinese muskets originated. Keep us posted on your progress! Too bad the opportunities for shooting tiggers from elephant-back are so limited in the US!