[rand]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for posting the photo's of the firearms in Topkapi Palace. They are both Turkish, the firearm below is a miquelet lock mounted on a Turkish stock. The rifle on the top has a flintlock action mounted on a European style stock. Both rifles are profusely ornamented with Turkish designs and most likely all parts are Turkish manufacture.

The Miquelet lock was the predecessor of the flintlock but never took hold in the Islamic countries where the miquelet lock remained the action of choice. This may because it had fewer parts making it more servicable.

The percussion lock was a huge jump in reliability and safety, it would have been very sought after by those that knew about it.

rand