Original item: One of a kind. This is a great display piece! It is truly a work of art, as much as it is a weapon. A huge amount of time was put into producing this piece, with all the various inlays and artistry. In the 17th Century the Ottoman Empire really dominated the Middle East and became a real threat to Europe. In the 1680s they laid siege to Vienna, which certainly attracted the attention of all the Western European monarchies.

By the end of the 19th Century they controlled most of the Middle East and North Africa including Egypt and further west. They were sophisticated and well organized and came to grief only by taking sides with the Central Powers of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the First World War.

Here we offer a Classic, high quality, Ottoman - Caucasian Miquelet Musket known as a "SHISHANA" dating probably to the late 18th century. It features a 39 1/8 inch smoothbore barrel with a bore approximately 0.55" in diameter, which has some simple molded designs on the top spine. Close examination of the barrel shows that it is heavily patterned, made from what looks to be "Damascus" laminated crucible steel. There are also two gold inlaid touchmarks on the barrel, which we do not recognize, but could be a source of future research.

The barrel is held in place with highly decorative embossed sheet silver bands, and the stock is visible between these. It looks to be highly decorative figured wood, with a high degree of chatoyancy. Further back towards the butt, the stock has additional embossed sheet silver fittings and decorations, as well as cladding on the top of the characteristic fitting around the barrel tang. We also noted that almost the entire lock area on both sides is in fact clad in magnetic sheet iron, which looks to have been a later addition. We assume that some type of damage may have occurred long ago, and the iron was used to help stabilize it.

The butt end is classically "five sided", and in this case the last 4 inches are a separate piece, which does not have the figuring that the rest of the butt stock does. There was originally silver ornamentation over much of the butt stock, however some of it is now missing, and the stock is worn down a bit on the end from use. The trigger itself is a small iron ball and this style of rifle never had a trigger guard. The miquelet lock is lovely, showing silver decorations on the hammer, top jaw, and lock plate. In this case it is actually functional, holding at half cock and firing at full, though it definitely is a bit finicky. There are two sling fittings on the left side of the musket, which look to be from slightly different eras. These muskets were often kept in service for decades, and were repaired as needed.

This is a nice Ottoman "SHISHANA" gun dating from the 17th and early 18th Centuries, with a beautiful burl wood butt stock. Overall length of 52 1/8" and ready to display!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: circa 1780
Caliber: approx .55 inches
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 39 1/8 inches
Overall Length: 52 1/8 inches
Action: Miquelet Lock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.