I am inclined to see the second sword as a "bitser"or shotgun job, all or mostly original parts but not originally one item.
The reason for the gap between shoulder and guard would be because of using the original hole in the tang made when it first went into a Kaskara, and the original hole in the guard when it was used in a Shamshir of one sort or another.
Not all shamshir type swords are eastern, the type was often carried by bandsmen in the British army.
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