Philipine Paltik gas pipe guns

AHite · 6th December 2022, 07:36 PM

Hello, new forum member here with my first post. I've been reading this forum for a while, and really appreciate the knowledge that the members have on unique ethnic weapons. I want to share with you a couple of interesting "gas pipe" guns that I acquired a few years back. I think they are called paltiks but am open to being corrected.

A little backstory first. I acquired these two guns from a shop in central Missouri, USA whose owner said he got them thirty years prior from a man who claimed he brought them back from the Philippines after WW2. The shop owner told me that these were "dummy guns, made to fool the enemy into thinking that their opponent was better armed than they had believed". Didn't make sense to me, and certainly would not have fooled Japanese troops.

After careful examination I determined that both of these guns were capable of firing, and in fact appear to have been fired in the past. One has a carved wood stock that looks similar to a 1903 Springfield rifle. It has a gas pipe barrel. Metal has been attached to the "receiver" area for strength. There is a slot in the side that a rifle cartridge would be fitted. Caliber of the cartridge really doesn't matter. A long nail (I fabricated this part) would go through the reinforced hole in the back of the receiver and sit on the primer of the cartridge. A blow to the nail would fire the gun. Accuracy would have been sketchy as the bullet would rattle down the pipe.

The second one, which looks like a downsized Browning A5 shotgun, is actually a black powder matchlock. The formed brass piece covering the receiver hides a copper channel, made from tubing. A match or wick fit in this channel, and the handle would push it forward. The barrel would be loaded with (I assume) black powder and whatever iron rubbish could be shoved down the barrel. Both guns would be very dangerous to the intended target as well as the shooter.

I appreciate any feedback, comments, on these two pieces.

Regards, Andrew

Battara · 7th December 2022, 04:13 AM

An interesting find. I've heard of these and home made "zip guns". During the Philippine-American War (1898-1905?) there were cannons made of bamboo.

This rifle would have probably been used by Filipino guerrilla forces hiding in the jungles.

Thanks for posting this. Maraming Salamat!

6th December 2022, 07:36 PM	#1
AHite Member Join Date: Dec 2022 Posts: 48	Philipine Paltik gas pipe guns Hello, new forum member here with my first post. I've been reading this forum for a while, and really appreciate the knowledge that the members have on unique ethnic weapons. I want to share with you a couple of interesting "gas pipe" guns that I acquired a few years back. I think they are called paltiks but am open to being corrected. A little backstory first. I acquired these two guns from a shop in central Missouri, USA whose owner said he got them thirty years prior from a man who claimed he brought them back from the Philippines after WW2. The shop owner told me that these were "dummy guns, made to fool the enemy into thinking that their opponent was better armed than they had believed". Didn't make sense to me, and certainly would not have fooled Japanese troops. After careful examination I determined that both of these guns were capable of firing, and in fact appear to have been fired in the past. One has a carved wood stock that looks similar to a 1903 Springfield rifle. It has a gas pipe barrel. Metal has been attached to the "receiver" area for strength. There is a slot in the side that a rifle cartridge would be fitted. Caliber of the cartridge really doesn't matter. A long nail (I fabricated this part) would go through the reinforced hole in the back of the receiver and sit on the primer of the cartridge. A blow to the nail would fire the gun. Accuracy would have been sketchy as the bullet would rattle down the pipe. The second one, which looks like a downsized Browning A5 shotgun, is actually a black powder matchlock. The formed brass piece covering the receiver hides a copper channel, made from tubing. A match or wick fit in this channel, and the handle would push it forward. The barrel would be loaded with (I assume) black powder and whatever iron rubbish could be shoved down the barrel. Both guns would be very dangerous to the intended target as well as the shooter. I appreciate any feedback, comments, on these two pieces. Regards, Andrew Attached Images

7th December 2022, 04:13 AM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,219	An interesting find. I've heard of these and home made "zip guns". During the Philippine-American War (1898-1905?) there were cannons made of bamboo. This rifle would have probably been used by Filipino guerrilla forces hiding in the jungles. Thanks for posting this. Maraming Salamat!