Afghan Jazail - Restored

[rickystl]

To answer a question posted above about the two open holes in the barrel tang. This is another curious mystery. There are no threads in the two holes. And, there are no holes beneath the tang in the stock where wood screws or nails would have been. So the only thing holding the barrel to the stock are the multiple barrel bands, which do hold it firmly in place. My guess is that the were originally screws/nails used when the barrel was originally utilized as a matchlock. So the barrel was re-used while making the current stock and flintlock configuration.
I do have some original dome head wood screws that are over 125 years old that I thought about using. Rick.

[rickystl]

Hi Norman. Well, you're right of course. I too believe in the general consensus: As little as possible, and as much as necessary. I have another Jazail that I will eventually post. It is more highly decorated and in very good condition as is. The only work I will do to it is clean the inside of the barrel. And have the lock cleaned and tuned. It will simply reside in my collection.
To make a safe shooting gun you have to search for just the right candidate. Better than a wall hanger, but not so good as to alter a nice collectors piece. This Jazail was just a couple of steps above a basket case. But it also had an original Barnett export lock versus a locally made copy. The mainspring was too strong and had to be reduced and re-hardened. Works fine now. Sparks very well. Yes!!! It's a blast to shoot. I do plan on a series of YouTube videos while shooting these guns. Hopefully this Summer, but next Summer for sure. There are plenty of videos of guys shooting original/replica European and U.S. Made arms. But I've never seen any footage actually shooting these Middle Eastern guns. So maybe I'll be the first. Rick.

[Norman McCormick]

Originally Posted by rickystl

I do plan on a series of YouTube videos while shooting these guns. Hopefully this Summer, but next Summer for sure. Rick.

[rickystl]

hello again. Well, I am finally back home long enough to get my computer working correctly. So here are some additional pics of the barrel and lock.
BARREL: Note the barrel started life as a Matchlock. The original groove cut into the barrel is where the pan/cover resided. Imagine my surprise to see this when I first removed the lock. The pic shows where the new breech plug was installed with the original barrel tang welded back on. As well, the original sight groove welded closed and re-cut to match the new front sight.Still had to re-heat the tang and slightly bend it to fit the stock. Whew. And note the muzzle end of the barrel. You can hardly notice the new steel .54 caliber liner was installed.
LOCK: Note the thick sheet brass added to the back of the lock plate and pan area to fill the space between the lock and barrel. That way the evidence of the original matchlock is still intact.

This gun took far more work than I originally anticipated. But I'm happy with the end result. It shoots very accurate and is a lot of fun. Thanks for looking and all of your responses. Hope you found it interesting.
I'll post another gun this weekend. Rick.

[rickystl]

And pics of the Lock:

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by rickystl

To answer a question posted above about the two open holes in the barrel tang. This is another curious mystery. There are no threads in the two holes. And, there are no holes beneath the tang in the stock where wood screws or nails would have been. So the only thing holding the barrel to the stock are the multiple barrel bands, which do hold it firmly in place. My guess is that the were originally screws/nails used when the barrel was originally utilized as a matchlock. So the barrel was re-used while making the current stock and flintlock configuration.
I do have some original dome head wood screws that are over 125 years old that I thought about using. Rick.

Hi Rick,
Nice job of restoration but like others above, I believe that there is a limit IMHO as to how far one should go. There is a fine line between restoration and rebuild. As an example I once saw what had been a nice original Sharps rifle totally ruined by "restoration". The owner had gone so far, that all marks etc had been removed, and he had ended up with nothing more than a shiny replica.
Anyway....back to those holes....I would not expect that they were threaded, but what I think is that there would at some stage have been screws which threaded into the trigger plate.....ie they would have gone right thru the original stock, which may not have been the one which is there now.
Stu

[rickystl]

Hi Stu.
Yes, this gun is closer to a re-build than restoration. But the original goal of this Jazail was to have a shooter versus a collector piece. And since I was so intent on having a shooter, I thought this example was a good candidate for the project.
That said, I totally agree with you on over-restoration. And the Sharps rifle you mentioned is a textbook example of what NOT to do. I own an original Northwest Trade Fusil, converted to percussion, that is in attic condition. It was probably used all the way up till the tumbler broke. Of course, these guns are rare in any condition, and I would not dream of doing any restoration to it. Not even fixing the lock. I simply give it an occasional light soap cleaning and keep it for display in my collection. I'm simply the next caretaker for her.
As far as the holes in the barrel tang. You could be right about that. But we will never know for sure. The barrel was used in a matchlock, then re-used to build another gun back in the period. But all the Jazails I've seen have either a small trigger plate or no no trigger plate. Which leads me to believe wood screws or nails were more likely. I've seen both used. In fact, my other Jazail has two square headed nails.
Thanks for your interest. Rick. I'll post another gun sometime today.

[rickystl]

Just a couple of pics......