Ottoman rifle

[fspic]

The barrel is old Turkish and considerably shortened. The stock is Turkish influenced but the decoration has elements of north Africa and Morocco. I have this on two boy's kabyle stocks. It is likely 19th century African from the area occupied by the forces of Ali (likely an Albanian and a part of the Turkish occupation. His son later took over the "business" and ran a somewhat independent territory under Turkish authority). The lock is north African style and is found on a lot of guns of that region. The lock is likely a traditional style for the area as is the Moroccan development of the English dog lock/snaphaunce and its relatives found on Jezails or Kabyles.