Original Ottoman Empire Miquelet Lock Brass Decorated Shishana Musket with Ball Trigger and Burl Butt Stock - Circa 1780

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 Miquelet Musket known as a "SHISHANA" dating probably to the late 18th century. It features a 41"smothbore barrel with a bore approximately 0.73" in diameter, and is held in place with highly decorative embossed sheet brass bands. We also see what look to be two solid copper barrel wedges to help the heavy barrel stay in place. The wooden stock has additional embossed sheet brass fittings, as well as cladding on the top of the characteristic fitting around the barrel tang.

The butt end is classically "five sided", and in this case the last 4 inches are a separate piece, which in this case is made from "burl" highly figured wood. We are not sure what species was typically used, but it is definitely lighter in color than the rest of the stock, and really looks great, with all types of figuring artifacts present.

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 inlaid decorations on the hammer, top jaw, and lock plate. The lock is actually working in this case, though the half cock catch is worn, which allows the lock to fire at both full and half cock. There is an iron ramrod under the barrel, which may be just for display.

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 54 5/8" and ready to display!

Specifications: 

Years of Manufacture: circa 1780
Caliber: approx .73 inches
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 41 inches
Overall Length: 54 5/8 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.

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