Interesting Balkan Long Gun

Battara · 27th August 2018, 12:20 AM

A note about Tirri - his book has a lot of things wrong and mislabeled.

Martin Lubojacky · 27th August 2018, 06:53 AM

I saw exactly this gun (shape of stock, stock, engarvings) cca four times in Turkey (markets in Ankara). Based on this I would say it is of Anatolian origin. Usually they were in worse condition than yours.

rickystl · 27th August 2018, 03:09 PM

Hmmmm.....some interesting responses here. Thanks.

Barrel Bands: Now that I think about it, even the shape of the blue/black bands are similar to ones on Caucasian guns. The other two silver colored bands are shaped very similar to ones used on Algerian long guns. Curious.

It seems this "style" of gun may have had it's origin in Turkey - somewhere if others had seem them there. The carvings on the butt stock look similar to photos I've seen of old Turkish furniture.

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated.

Rick

Martin Lubojacky · 27th August 2018, 03:54 PM

I think the stock and its engarvings are distinctive in this case (and very probably Anatolia/Asia Minor).
(Nevertheless, as far as your evaluation of the two types of the bands are concerned: If I am not mistaken, the African - Mediterranean coast was under the Ottoman Empiry for a long time... E.g.one of the most interesting big qamas I have ever seen I found in Libya years ago. I would say it was of Syrian origin, which was also Ottoman for a centuries... It was very probably survival of Ottoman garrison force. And, by the way - I was also told that Ottomans used to bring, among others, the garrison force from the Causasus region. - Just what I heard.)

TVV · 27th August 2018, 09:15 PM

First of all, this is a very nice gun, congratulations. On the question of origin, I do not know where it is from, but I do not think ti is from the Balkans. I do not think you will find any of these guns in any Bulgarian or Greek museum, so the "Rumelian" attribution is probably just one of many things Tirri got wrong.

rickystl · 28th August 2018, 02:53 PM

Thank you all for the additional replies. It does seem a mystery as to it's origins. It doesn't match any other gun building "style" from the Balkans that I am familiar with. I've search through all new and old reference material I have to no avail. That small photo in Tirri's book, and the photo posted above are the only ones I've ever seen. I'll keep looking. LOL

Rick

Battara · 28th August 2018, 06:11 PM

Must admit I do like the wood carvings.

27th August 2018, 12:20 AM	#1
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,270	A note about Tirri - his book has a lot of things wrong and mislabeled.

27th August 2018, 06:53 AM	#2
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	I saw exactly this gun (shape of stock, stock, engarvings) cca four times in Turkey (markets in Ankara). Based on this I would say it is of Anatolian origin. Usually they were in worse condition than yours.

27th August 2018, 03:09 PM	#3
rickystl Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO area. Posts: 1,629	Hmmmm.....some interesting responses here. Thanks. Barrel Bands: Now that I think about it, even the shape of the blue/black bands are similar to ones on Caucasian guns. The other two silver colored bands are shaped very similar to ones used on Algerian long guns. Curious. It seems this "style" of gun may have had it's origin in Turkey - somewhere if others had seem them there. The carvings on the butt stock look similar to photos I've seen of old Turkish furniture. Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated. Rick

27th August 2018, 03:54 PM	#4
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	I think the stock and its engarvings are distinctive in this case (and very probably Anatolia/Asia Minor). (Nevertheless, as far as your evaluation of the two types of the bands are concerned: If I am not mistaken, the African - Mediterranean coast was under the Ottoman Empiry for a long time... E.g.one of the most interesting big qamas I have ever seen I found in Libya years ago. I would say it was of Syrian origin, which was also Ottoman for a centuries... It was very probably survival of Ottoman garrison force. And, by the way - I was also told that Ottomans used to bring, among others, the garrison force from the Causasus region. - Just what I heard.)

27th August 2018, 09:15 PM	#5
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,660	First of all, this is a very nice gun, congratulations. On the question of origin, I do not know where it is from, but I do not think ti is from the Balkans. I do not think you will find any of these guns in any Bulgarian or Greek museum, so the "Rumelian" attribution is probably just one of many things Tirri got wrong.

28th August 2018, 02:53 PM	#6
rickystl Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO area. Posts: 1,629	Thank you all for the additional replies. It does seem a mystery as to it's origins. It doesn't match any other gun building "style" from the Balkans that I am familiar with. I've search through all new and old reference material I have to no avail. That small photo in Tirri's book, and the photo posted above are the only ones I've ever seen. I'll keep looking. LOL Rick

28th August 2018, 06:11 PM	#7
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,270	Must admit I do like the wood carvings.