Ward:
The example of your family shotgun sounds very familiar. My family had an old Winchester Coach Gun that my great grandfather carried when he was delivering mail in rural Victoria (Australia) during the late 19th C. According to my family's legend about him, one day he came across the notorious Kelly Gang's camp while delivering mail on horseback. He didn't try to use the gun that day but just rode on by with a friendly wave. That gun went through many alterations over the years--new stock, replaced hammer and trigger assembly--and was lost when my cousin fell in the Murray River with it while hunting ducks in 2005.
I would say your gun is as "American" as they come--a great story and a great piece of folk history. It is an emblem
As far as terms such as "Ottoman Empire," "Chinese," "Islamic" or the ever popular "Indo-Persian," they do indeed lack specificity and are virtually meaningless when communicating among collectors and other parties serious about these weapons.
Ian
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