Item:
ONSV6968

Original Greek or Caucasian Miquelet Lock Jezail Musket with Steel Clad Shoulder Stock c.1800

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. The Jezail (sometimes Jezzail from the Arabic) is a simple, cost-efficient and typically handmade muzzle-loading long arm commonly used in the Middle East region in the past. These were all highly personalized, so no two were alike. They were often made with locally available locks, so it was common to see locks on these that were of varied origin.

Offered here is a most attractive and relatively unusual Miquelet Lock Jezail Musket.  Often used by the Mountain Bandits of the Balkans, these Miquelet Jezail Muskets were used all over the Greek peninsula and across the Middle East. This particular weapon came from the Northern part of the Ottoman Empire, which could reach from Greece to Southern Ukraine to the Caspian sea in the East.

The wooden stock is hardly visible at all around the shoulder area, as it is mostly covered in iron sheeting. The fore stock has some steel barrel bands, and one brass. It does look like it once had a longer fore stock, which is now absent. The Miquelet lock is fashioned after the Spanish Miquelet lock of the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. Measuring 55 1/2" in overall length, the barrel alone is 42" long. It still has a ramrod, though it may be a replacement from another muzzle loader.

In all a very romantic long gun that were said be be very accurate despite being smooth bore. Even the Migulet lock mechanism works well, but this item is for DISPLAY ONLY and should not be fired.

Truly impressive and a great Display piece, probably 200 years old. Fully cleaned and ready to hang on the wall.

History of the Miquelet Lock:
Miquelet lock is a modern term used by collectors and curators, largely in the English-speaking world, for a type of firing mechanism used in muskets and pistols. It is a distinctive form of snaplock, originally as a flint-against-steel ignition form, once prevalent in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Balkans, North Africa, Ottoman Empire and throughout Spain's colonies from the late 16th to the mid 19th centuries.

The term miquelet lock was not recorded until the 19th century, long after the appearance of the mechanism in the 16th century, and is of uncertain origin. One commonly held view is that it was coined by British troops in the Peninsular War to describe the style of musket used by the Miquelet (militia) that had been assigned to the Peninsular Army of the Duke of Wellington.

Specifications: 

Years of Manufacture: Circa 1800
Caliber: approx .71 inches
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 42 inches
Overall Length: 55 1/2 inches
Action: Miquelet Lock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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  • This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey

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  • Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon

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