Jezail 3: Return of the Not-Quite-So-Killer Jezail

[rickystl]

I really like the fluted barrel on your gun. Beautiful. Too bad about the breech end. Well, if you plan on restoring, it looks like you have your work cut out for you.
By coincidence, I just purchased a Jezail myself. I plan on restoring this one to a shooter. Mine is rather plain and un-decorated, but it's all there. Even the sling is original. I bought this one because it has a genuine British Barnett trade lock. The butt stock is broke where someone crudely glued it together. The glue is still soft. The trigger guard is broke - and likely the same person tried to glue that back together.
But it's all repairable. I plan on tackeling this project sometime next year. Too many others to finish at the momment.
Keep us posted as to your progress. Thanks, Rick.

[RDGAC]

Well, thread necromancy ahoy. I have recently begun work on this again, after a year's hopeless indecision. My eventual call was to make or have made a new fore-end for the stock. Microscopic examination, courtesy the York Archaeological Trust (very nice folks, for anyone in the area), revealed that the newer part of the stock, the "repair", is made from beech. I didn't know beech grew around Afghanistan, but there it is.

The old, original part, however, is made from something else entirely. Namely, a plant I'd never heard of, "Common dogwood", Cornus sanguinea, apparently native to much of Europe and as far afield as the Caspian Sea. That explains roughly where it came from, at any rate, which seems nice to know.

Now for my question: Does anyone know of anywhere I can get some common dogwood timber? Google has turned up, so far, absolutely nothing suitable; the plant itself is mostly used as an ornamental shrub, obviously not really suitable for making gun stocks!

Ricky: That is a very nice gun, if a bit battered. How's she coming along?

[Jim McDougall]

I cant add much on the dogwood, but just wanted to say Im glad you're back and than you for staying with it on this.....I really love this jezail! and it has an incredible charm to it, and I can picture the fantastic history of its home regions. I recall the great discussions we had on that EIC balemark and led to outstanding entries in my own notes.

All the best,
Jim

[fearn]

Probably the simplest way to get Cornus sanguinea is to go where it lives, hire someone to legally cut the wood, and repair the gun on location. Then it will be genuine. The second choice is to find Cornus sanguinea growing somewhere in England (where it's been planted) and make a bargain to get the wood you need. Perhaps after someone's cleaning up after a storm or before a development goes in? Then you can dry it (or pay someone to do so) and get to work crafting it.

F

[Raf]

I think your being a bit hard on it . Cant immediately see why the lock isnt a bog standard EIC lock ; Windus patern which formed the model for the India pattern Bess. Whats wrong with lock is the native made replacement cast spring which probably never worked properly in the first place. A modern cast steel spring for a India pattern lock will probably fit with a bit of work. Their not expensive compared to making one and are fairly easy to temper. The lock obviously belongs to most of the stock .The barrel as you point out probably doesnt belong to this gun and almost certainly started life as a matchlock .Looks Persian to me. The charm , if thats the right word , of these things is that they have a long and colourfull history and the fact they are invariable marriages of parts of different dates from different cultures is just part of real history.

[Jens Nordlunde]

Hello Fern,
Maybe you should explain something about 'drying' whe wood, as I remember that someone long time ago, told me that wood for wood cutting should be at least seventy years old. Wood for this weapon will no doubt not have to as old as that, but it will still have to be dry.
Jens

[RDGAC]

Hi all; Jim, glad to be mooching about again after spending so long in a lather of uncertainty. Figure it's time to give this old girl some TLC. And I still have to think before remembering which is quartered and which is flaunched!

Fearn: Not really very practical for me to go to Iran, to be honest. More's the pity (I'd not mind looking at Ctesiphon) but there it is. I did consider trying to find some cornus sanguinea around here; it certainly seems an option worth considering. I don't know where it grows wild in the UK, but presumably it must do so somewhere. However, I know about as much about working wood as a horse knows about industrial chemistry, so doubtless lots of silly questions to come yet. At least I'd already thought of seasoning (drying) as a problem; at a guess, the best I could do would be to get a reasonable-sized big of dogwood, stick it in a corner somewhere, and leave it to dry for 6 months (or however long is necessary for dogwood).

Amazingly, although the tree itself is apparently relatively common, nobody seems to sell dogwood timber. I can only presume there's no market for the stuff.

Raf: Looking at it since (with the aid of some of the very knowledgeable people at the Brit Mil Forum) has suggested that, yes, it is in fact an EIC lock, albeit with new (and not too good) mainspring. As to replacing that, I'm not sure. Since the odds of this beast ever firing again are slender at best, it seems best to leave it alone, apart from removing corrosion. Had they not made such drastic alterations to the barrel... but ah well. One can't really fault the locals for making a living.

Cheers all,

Meredydd