Blunderbuss

[celtan]

Not Turkish, the stock is all wrong for them. And they are characteristically more decorated. Of course, that applies to the ones I have seen so far.

Perhaps there were exceptions, but this one doesn't feel Turkish at all...

I read somewhere that europeans used brass blunderbusses, often at sea. They could only load lead shot, since anything else (as the stories went about stones, bolts, etc...) would destroy the softer barrel. Another advantage the significantly costlier barrels had was is that they didn't rust, and when they exploded from overuse or overload, they usually only deformed or split.

OTOH, overstressed iron barrels would explode like a grenade

And no, I haven't yet dismounted the lock. Will soon do.

Toots

: )

M