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An Arab snaphaunce

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VicN

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I note a few of this North African type have been displayed on other threads but here is mine, it stands at exactly 6 feet, the lock, stock and barrel all signed in Arabic. My dad and I fired this gun in the back yard during the 1960's, an old coalhouse door ended up full of lead balls and holes and I often wondered what the new owner of the house thought after we had left.

Whether the Snaphaunce lock was locally made or came from Europe and then decorated I don't know

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Oh very cool my brother in old arms from another Mother across the pond! We have the same fondness for the OLD arms!

I have 2; 1 to eventually be restored to shootin' condition ... someday, too many other projects on the build table/list ... matchlocks, a LH doglock and a LH wheellock (lock only) in the rough metal stage.
 
Vic, nice example of a Moukhala! I believe they are most often associated with Morocco. You mentioned there are some arabic markings, would love to see, and may be able to determine a date or something from them.
Here are the three Arabic stamps, I also have interest in ancient Islamic coins so can read bit's and pieces but as the vowels are rarely used you often have to guess what they might be. The stock bears the elongated word Muhammad al ( no vowels just MHMD) محمد but not sure of the final bit, something like ruza?

The barrel bears the name ending in Ahmed but can't make out the first part
The lock I can't make out other than it begins with al, something like al- amir as a guess

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Hi Vic

What a nice Moroccan musket. In this case, we see a basic un-decorated stock, with a decorated lock. We've also seen the reverse, as well as both decorated. Like everything else, I guess it would depend on how much money/trade the customer had or was willing to spend. Your musket is typically identified as Afedali. It is likely from the Taroudant region and the Oued Sous Valley. There is another slight variation from this same region which looks similar, but the wrist area is wider and the same style butt stock has a slight downward curve.
The snaphaunce lock on your musket looks to be locally made, and copies the original Dutch pattern. And the lock looks complete.
What's interesting is the lock, stock, and barrel all have a maker's type mark or inscription. While you often see a stamp/mark on the barrel and lock, it's less seen on the stock itself. In this case, it's all three. But it shouldn't be too surprising. Generally, these muskets represented three trades: Lock making, barrel making, and stock making (and final assembly and decorating, if any). While any translation of the marks/signatures would be useful, it's not likely they can be traced back to any particular gun shop. The locals just didn't keep those kind of written records. It's amazing the locals continued to make and use these muskets with their ancient locks well into the mid 19th century.
Note the photo Cyten posted above. With the exception of some wire decoration on the butt stock, the warrior's musket looks identical to Vic's.

A nice example Vic. Especially with the stock inscription.

Rick
 
Your musket is typically identified as Afedali. It is likely from the Taroudant region and the Oued Sous Valley. There is another slight variation from this same region which looks similar, but the wrist area is wider and the same style butt stock has a slight downward curve. The snaphaunce lock on your musket looks to be locally made, and copies the original Dutch pattern.
Rick - Your knowledge of these arms continues to amaze me!
 
Hi Vic

Generally, these muskets represented three trades: Lock making, barrel making, and stock making (and final assembly and decorating, if any). While any translation of the marks/signatures would be useful, it's not likely they can be traced back to any particular gun shop. The locals just didn't keep those kind of written records. It's amazing the locals continued to make and use these muskets with their ancient locks well into the mid 19th century.
Note the photo Cyten posted above. With the exception of some wire decoration on the butt stock, the warrior's musket looks identical to Vic's.

A nice example Vic. Especially with the stock inscription.

Rick
Hello Rick,

thanks for an incredibly detailed description of my gun!, particularly the likelihood of coming from the Taroudant region and the Oued Sous Valley! as you say, the general shape of the stock is identical to Cytens photo, I'm going to add information tags to all these guns before I put them back in the loft otherwise it will be lost.
 
Ive seen such guns in use in Morocco & the region of central Algeria close by the border . The first where a sort of charging salute to' Hassan the Second' the Boy king (in 1965 now dead ) in Agadir The other was at an oasis dwelling in N Central Algeria but the owner had the lock bound in rags to keep the fine ever intrusive sand out ( Any oil will become abrasife paste which probably accounts for the often utterly mutterly worn out examples that seem to survive in some numbers ) The Owner had no English or French so our conversations where by colourfull mime as he had shot a' Beesh' Some sort of antelope badly stuffed head on his wall . I carried flints ( Ive been a muzzle loader buff since the early 60s ) so I gave him some which tickeled him pink he was so pleased Those where the days when you could hitch alone across the Desert Not the sad days we now have . fond memories of my time , reached Gao after five days from Adrar a top a Berliete camione two in convoy . .Couldn't get to Timbuktu just no traffic. irks me still but had cronic guts acke so wasn't to be . Not sure how I survived the maladies but did ( or I couldn't recount them !). Your gun Ide call a Kabyl is a nice one you seem to have a Turkish piece & a gaudy pistol made for or in the near East .I believe such guns are still got up new for ceromonies . Welcome to the Forum from NZ.
Regards Rudyard
 
Here is my shooter - from the same region, including original accessories. The lock required a fix on the sear, but functions well now. The barrel has a Hoyt liner and is now a .55 caliber smooth bore. The horn, pouch, and priming flask are still in usable condition. The dagger is still usable and sharp. Fun stuff.
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Rick

The bracelet is Moroccan silver from the 19th Century.
 
Here is my shooter - from the same region, including original accessories. The lock required a fix on the sear, but functions well now. The barrel has a Hoyt liner and is now a .55 caliber smooth bore. The horn, pouch, and priming flask are still in usable condition. The dagger is still usable and sharp. Fun stuff.

Rick

The bracelet is Moroccan silver from the 19th Century.

Very nice, and you have the original type accessories to go with it as well, it seems crazy that I fired mine all those years ago, using 1/2" round lead fishing weights .
 
To go along with the above, here is a Moroccan snaphaunce pistol. Actually, it's difficult to find genuine, period pistols that were made for shooting. Most of the Moroccan pistols you encounter today are tourist copies from the 1950's and later. The earlier copies were made better than the copies from about the 1970's and later, often utilizing some original locks and other parts. But still, tourist copies.
The lock on this gun is sized for a pistol. It has a maker's stamp. AND part of the wire inlay on the butt stock was designed to represent the date of 1276, which equals 1859 in the Gregorian calander. Very cool. It has a good quality barrel with breech decoration very similar to the muskets. The decoration is all intact. The butt stock looks a bit like a carry-over from the early 17th century. Not a big surprise. Anyway, here's some photos. You don't see these pistols often.

Rick
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A very neat and hard to find pistol, and I see what I presume is the makers name in silver wire on the stock, I can't see clearly but it looks like Arabic inscriptions on both sides of the stock as well so maybe gives more information if it could be read.
Does that frizzen spring look like a replacement as it's very bright steel compared to the rest of the lock
 
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