Congo rifle

Freddy · 11th March 2007, 03:24 PM

I know this forum deals mainly with bladed weapons, but I thought this gun would fit in quite nicely.

This morning I found this (very old) gun in an antique shop in my town. The seller could not tell me where it was from. He only knew it came together with some African weapons. I saw (and bought) one other piece of this collection. It's a fine Tutsi (or Hutu) sickle knife from the border region of Congo and Ruanda.
So I think this gun comes from the same area.

The gun is a homemade piece, or at least a homemade converted piece. I guess at one time a barrel of a matchlock gun was available. Someone made a new stock and trigger. Also the metal plates for keeping the piece together were 'newly' made.
The barrel has some decoration, especially towards the top (see pic).
Nice thing about this piece is that it still functions. When you press the trigger, the hook (which used to hold the burning cord), goes to the small 'pan' where the powder is ignited.
The maker also used some rattan and cord to fasten the barrel to the stock.

I tried to find some info on the internet, but I wasn't very succesfull. Perhaps another forum member could help me out.

Total length of this piece is 115 cm.

11th March 2007, 03:24 PM	#1
Freddy Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sint-Amandsberg (near Ghent, Belgium) Posts: 830	Congo rifle I know this forum deals mainly with bladed weapons, but I thought this gun would fit in quite nicely. This morning I found this (very old) gun in an antique shop in my town. The seller could not tell me where it was from. He only knew it came together with some African weapons. I saw (and bought) one other piece of this collection. It's a fine Tutsi (or Hutu) sickle knife from the border region of Congo and Ruanda. So I think this gun comes from the same area. The gun is a homemade piece, or at least a homemade converted piece. I guess at one time a barrel of a matchlock gun was available. Someone made a new stock and trigger. Also the metal plates for keeping the piece together were 'newly' made. The barrel has some decoration, especially towards the top (see pic). Nice thing about this piece is that it still functions. When you press the trigger, the hook (which used to hold the burning cord), goes to the small 'pan' where the powder is ignited. The maker also used some rattan and cord to fasten the barrel to the stock. I tried to find some info on the internet, but I wasn't very succesfull. Perhaps another forum member could help me out. Total length of this piece is 115 cm.