Ottoman Guns

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From another Bulgarian craftsman is this traditional style loading rod (ramrod) for pistols. Most of the Ottoman Empire style pistols were made without a ramrod provision under the stock. Or fitted with with a short piece of rod as a styling exercise often called a false ramrod.
The locals preferred to load their pistols with a separate metal rod suspended with a cord or leather throng around the neck.
Amazing there is still someone in Bulgaria that makes replicas of these rods. Of course, I had to have one, thanks to Cyten. LOL It will easily accommodate up to a 12" barrel. Made from a solid piece of brass rod. Very happy with the workmanship.

Rick

Happy to have helped! They look great together! Now you need to dress the part and hit the range

Thanks again Cyten.

While the holsters have nice, wide belt loops on the back, most of these holsters seemed to have been carried using a shoulder strap. My original double-pistol holster has no belt loop. Just the shoulder strap. The only original single holster I've examined had both.
Anyway, if I decide to add shoulder straps, it would be an easy addition. Come to think of it, I have a couple of 1" period Turkish buckles I can use. Assuming I can find them. LOL

Rick

Hello masters of Ottoman craft.
Would you be so kind and help me out with a closer description of a rifle at pictures bellow please?
I guess it's an early era of Miquelet lock but not so sure where it might be from due wierd shape of parts. Also there's a green inlay part in wood, any clue what material that could be? It look like colored bone but its green even in core so might be natural.
Will be happy for any ideas or pictures of similar rifles. Thanks in advance!

Vova said:

Hello masters of Ottoman craft.
Would you be so kind and help me out with a closer description of a rifle at pictures bellow please?
I guess it's an early era of Miquelet lock but not so sure where it might be from due wierd shape of parts. Also there's a green inlay part in wood, any clue what material that could be? It look like colored bone but its green even in core so might be natural.
Will be happy for any ideas or pictures of similar rifles. Thanks in advance!

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From the green color, it might be inlaid Jade. Anyone else have suggestions?

Billy-by-gosh said:

From the green color, it might be inlaid Jade. Anyone else have suggestions?

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Looks more like a tarnished copper or something similar, based off the color of the other pieces around them

Vova said:

Hello masters of Ottoman craft.
Would you be so kind and help me out with a closer description of a rifle at pictures bellow please?
I guess it's an early era of Miquelet lock but not so sure where it might be from due wierd shape of parts. Also there's a green inlay part in wood, any clue what material that could be? It look like colored bone but its green even in core so might be natural.
Will be happy for any ideas or pictures of similar rifles. Thanks in advance!

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Ide say its Turkish in influence missing its main spring quite distinctive' bold' you might say but they all varied and nothing wrong with that , the green bone is right I don't know how they made it keep green but they & early Europeans liked the green bone . looks good to me suggest look over the entire' Ottoman Guns ' thread some great examples . Don't look TOO hard they will enchant you. As in "They look & they sigh and they say ".Tis the nights of far off Turkey they have stolen his mind away ". ( The original says Arabia But call it' Poetic license') , Thank you for showing it us .
Regards Rudyard (Mind already stolen away !)

TobJohn said:

Looks more like a tarnished copper or something similar, based off the color of the other pieces around them

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Dear TobJohn. I don't think its jade might be but hard to work stuff nice in a garish way all the same .Him & me both need a mainspring if mine more Greek Albanian 3& 1/4:" oa Length . If this sounds like a advertising ploy its only because it is one .
Hmm Regards Rudyard

Green dyed bone, wood, & antler was common on weapons.
In Islam, the color green is often associated with weapons and is considered a sacred color, representing the Prophet Muhammad's favorite color, symbolizing paradise, purity, and prosperity, making it a common sight on flags and sometimes even on weapons within Islamic cultures; this is particularly linked to the belief that the gardens of paradise are described as green in the Quran.

PhDBrewer said:

Green dyed bone, wood, & antler was common on weapons.
In Islam, the color green is often associated with weapons and is considered a sacred color, representing the Prophet Muhammad's favorite color, symbolizing paradise, purity, and prosperity, making it a common sight on flags and sometimes even on weapons within Islamic cultures; this is particularly linked to the belief that the gardens of paradise are described as green in the Quran.

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Well that makes sense. green gardens being esteemed in a dry land , Quite how they got the green to soak in puzzles' me .Do you know what acids were used to bring out the contrasting deep 'Figure ' in a Damascus Barrel Ime thinking Sulfuric asid but perhaps there are fruit dyes?. Mohamed had good taste clearly.
Nearest I got to Islam was sitting in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul with fellow traveler's while staying at' freak hostel ,a near by flop house huge contrast to the Magnificence of the Blue Mosque . Regards Rudyard

Hello Vova. Welcome to the Forum.

A very nice - and earlier (IMHO) -Ottoman/Turkish musket. From the photo of the muzzle it appears to be a smooth bore. Often referred to as a Tufuk versus a Shishane with a rifled barrel.
Post #812 above is spot-on for the reason of the occasional "green" color in the decorations of these guns. It's a bit of a mystery how the green color penetrates the bone inlay to such a permanent degree. My guess is that some type of green colored dye/powder was added to boiling water with the bone inlay submerged in the water for a number of hours. I know this method will work using tea to turn the bone yellow-ish. Sort of an artificial ageing.
Beside the decoration, the general style of the stock and barrel are Ottoman/Turk. The trigger and trigger guard versus the typical ball style trigger with no guard usually found on these guns is a bit of European influence. But these guns do occasionally show up with a different trigger/guard arrangement.
The lock itself is very interesting. Stylistically, the lock is not one of the two common Ottoman/Turkish style miquelet locks. This lock looks early Spanish with it's longer hammer (****) jaws. Too bad it's missing it's mainspring. Would be worth having a new mainspring made.
The barrel is simply beautiful.
This gun would clean up further to be super nice. My guess is this gun is early 18th Century. Thanks for posting.

Rick

Rudyard said:

Dear TobJohn. I don't think its jade might be but hard to work stuff nice in a garish way all the same .Him & me both need a mainspring if mine more Greek Albanian 3& 1/4:" oa Length . If this sounds like a advertising ploy its only because it is one .
Hmm Regards Rudyard

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Rudyard: Are you needing a mainspring for one of your locks ?

Vova said:

Hello masters of Ottoman craft.
Would you be so kind and help me out with a closer description of a rifle at pictures bellow please?
I guess it's an early era of Miquelet lock but not so sure where it might be from due wierd shape of parts. Also there's a green inlay part in wood, any clue what material that could be? It look like colored bone but its green even in core so might be natural.
Will be happy for any ideas or pictures of similar rifles. Thanks in advance!

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Cześć i witaj Vova! I believe this a pretty early Ottoman Miquelet, due to the trigger/triggerguard and how the lock is not of the later standardized form. It is similar to these 17th century examples captured in Austro-Hungary in the 1680's-1690's that clearly took more inspiration from the Spanish locks they were based on.


Green dyed bone was a popular decoration on these guns. Green being a sacred color in Islam, as mentioned by @PhDBrewer

Verdigris, or copper acetate is used for the colouring agent, this chemical is made by exposing copper to acid fumes, the green is then gathered/scrapped from the surface and is used variously as a pigment, ink and a dye for bone and wood.
To make a green dye, take verdigris and boil it in urine and mix alum thereto and a portion of gum arabic, and dye therewith; to make the color lighter, take the same color and add orpiment and mix it with alum, cooked in lime water and dye therewith.
The bone or wood is laid into this solution of verdigris, then over time this takes on the green colour.
Enjoy!
William

rickystl said:

Rudyard: Are you needing a mainspring for one of your locks ?

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Dear Rick Yes its for a Greek/Albanian sort 3&1/4"long the sort that had faint engraving but I do'nt need the engravings . They seem all very alike I got mine off a Blanket at a Rendezvous at Shawnee State Forest its for that long unfinished piece I illustrated on the Number 1 ' Ottoman guns' post ' Interesting Ile get round to finish it yet. though to old M spring broke since then I hoped Cyten might find me one . I fancied one of the Revel kits he gets from his adds. I had one when young be nice to have if only for the decore . He did get me some Roskies came in a huge envelope but would have gone in a matchbox . nice to have them anyway .Presume you have some springs ?Ime all ears , Not much between them mind .
Regards Rudyard

Rudyard said:

Dear Rick Yes its for a Greek/Albanian sort 3&1/4"long the sort that had faint engraving but I do'nt need the engravings . They seem all very alike I got mine off a Blanket at a Rendezvous at Shawnee State Forest its for that long unfinished piece I illustrated on the Number 1 ' Ottoman guns' post ' Interesting Ile get round to finish it yet. though to old M spring broke since then I hoped Cyten might find me one . I fancied one of the Revel kits he gets from his adds. I had one when young be nice to have if only for the decore . He did get me some Roskies came in a huge envelope but would have gone in a matchbox . nice to have them anyway .Presume you have some springs ?Ime all ears , Not much between them mind .
Regards Rudyard

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Rudyard: Is your broken mainspring similar to this ?

OK. Let me see what I can find.