Albanian Tanchika

[rickystl]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Hi Rick,

waow really beautifull, finelly carved, with really nice silver barrel bands...
no loss expect the four coral stones, one of the best that i ever seen on this forum...
I got one too that I have to post once i'll receive it...

Kubur

Hi Kubur !!

Thanks for the comments. And, very observant of you to notice the small missing stones, two on each side. You know, I totally missed this. Thanks.
Coral stones ? Hmmmm. Or maybe turquoise ? I realize both were used for decoration throughout much of the Ottoman Empire. But I seem to only remember Coral stone on Ottoman/Moroccan/Algerian arms. Don't recall the same on Albanian weapons. But I could be wrong. What do you think ?

Rick

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by rickystl

Hi Kubur !!

Thanks for the comments. And, very observant of you to notice the small missing stones, two on each side. You know, I totally missed this. Thanks.
Coral stones ? Hmmmm. Or maybe turquoise ? I realize both were used for decoration throughout much of the Ottoman Empire. But I seem to only remember Coral stone on Ottoman/Moroccan/Algerian arms. Don't recall the same on Albanian weapons. But I could be wrong. What do you think ?

Rick

Hi Rick,

You might be wrong. I haven't seen turquoise on Albanian weapons.
On your gun I've seen red beads, mother-of-pearl and coral.
Please look at my pistol, the coral is still preserved...

Kubur

[rickystl]

Hi Kubur

OK. We will eliminate turquoise from the list. I forgot that one of my other Tanchika's has mother-of -pearl in the butt stock. This would probably be the easier route since I have a good supply of tiny MOP, round pieces I could use.
But my first choice would be the red/pink coral. I have some genuine pink coral beads, but the shape and size are too large. Doing some research, it seems the coral beads this small seem to be made of glass versus the real stone. Especially in the tiny 3mm or smaller. Hmmm. I'll see what else I can locate. Thanks for your help.

By the way, that's a great example of a rat tail pistol !!

Rick

[Kubur]

Hi Rick

Look at this tanchika, you can see the little red beads and mother-of-pearl, I think its what you need...or just let it as it is, it's a very nice gun.

[rickystl]

Hi Kubur

Thanks for the pics. That's a nice Tanchika with lots of open work brass decoration.
Under magnafication, I can see that there was indeed some type of decorative bead or other in the holes. Strange they are missing considering the condition of the gun.
I think the red colored beads would look best, and be appropriate. So I'm going that route. I'll keep you informed.

Thanks again for the pics. Rick

[Philip]

CONGRATS, RICK !! This is as close to being an out-and-out "screamer" as they come. I like the exceptional work on the lock, and the precision of decoration on substantial fittings. Welcome relief from the run-of-the-mill half-hearted fit and finish on most Balkan guns on the market today. You did very well on this. It looks clean enough to shoot! (at least to fire a blank salute on Skanderbeg's birthday.) Have you checked the bore

[rickystl]

Originally Posted by Philip

CONGRATS, RICK !! This is as close to being an out-and-out "screamer" as they come. I like the exceptional work on the lock, and the precision of decoration on substantial fittings. Welcome relief from the run-of-the-mill half-hearted fit and finish on most Balkan guns on the market today. You did very well on this. It looks clean enough to shoot! (at least to fire a blank salute on Skanderbeg's birthday.) Have you checked the bore

Hi Philip

Thanks so much for the kind comments. Yes, I think she is a beauty. Best one I've seen. Not only from a quality standpoint, but the condition looks like it's never been used. I'm confident it would be in good firing condition as is. Of course, I won't shoot this one.
I have not yet had the chance to really inspect the bore or dis-assemble it. But will do so soon. As mentioned, I want to clean the bottom of the barrel and re-post it here to get an idea of the damascus. It looks like a complex pattern, but my knowledge is too limited. I did find the the right size red beads. It's 3MM. I broke one in half and just set it in the hole to see how it looked. Looked and fit perfectly. Thanks again.

Rick

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by rickystl

Hi Philip

Thanks so much for the kind comments. Yes, I think she is a beauty. Best one I've seen. Not only from a quality standpoint, but the condition looks like it's never been used. I'm confident it would be in good firing condition as is. Of course, I won't shoot this one.
I have not yet had the chance to really inspect the bore or dis-assemble it. But will do so soon. As mentioned, I want to clean the bottom of the barrel and re-post it here to get an idea of the damascus. It looks like a complex pattern, but my knowledge is too limited. I did find the the right size red beads. It's 3MM. I broke one in half and just set it in the hole to see how it looked. Looked and fit perfectly. Thanks again.

Rick

Hi Rick,
I had meant to comment on this before, but somehow forgot.
Not to detract in any way from the beauty and quality of this Tanchika, but I notice that the screw slots appear to be burred over which suggests that they have been removed many times OR some idiot has carelessly forced them with an ordinary screwdriver.(One should ALWAYS used a HOLLOW GROUND screwdriver on gun screws to avoid this happening...........)
Stu