Arab percussion for comments

[Mefidk]

Hi folks - been a bit quiet on the gun front so I thought I'd share my latest gun.

Barrel is 98cm long, 12mm bore, and is hexagonal at the base. The enlarged butt is covered with cloth and wrapped with pieces of animal skin (maybe shot with this gun!).

The lock was a nice surprise, which from the photos I was not sure if genuine or in what condition. The outside shows signs of age and the hammer of wear in the cup as a result of frequent use (and misses a retaining screw). The inside was perfect though once cleaned. Army stamps are clearly visible as are a number of other stamps on or near the individual parts (I believe these are referred to in cleaning instructions). The contractor that made the lock plate has his name inside (J. Francis). James Francis was a contractor for Enfield, and together with the form and date I'm assuming that the lock was originally on an P53 or P60 British army Enfield Rifle. Although I am not 100% certain.

I guess that the likelihood is that the lock moved to the arab gun at the end of the military rifle's life, perhaps 20 years later, perhaps putting this gun at around 1880-1900.