Original British East India Company 13th Irregular Cavalry Percussion Saddle Ring Carbine Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Featured on page 507 of David Harding’s wonderful work SMALLARMS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY, VOLUME 2 this model was ordered by the Commanding Officer, Captain W. C. Alexander in 1851 for the Irregular Bengal Cavalry.

Supplied by the London Gun maker GARDEN, 200, PICCADILLY, LONDON, which appears on the twist steel barrel. The lock is engraved IRREGULAR XIII CAVALRY.

The mounts are brass and the carbine features a swivel-trapped ramrod for use while mounted. The left side bears a saddle bar on which a single ring floats for attachment to the Cavalry Trooper’s body sling. If dropped the weapon would then just dangle at the rider’s side.

Completely stripped and cleaned the proof marks and barrel contractor’s name are all recorded on an accompanying hang tag. In this case the barrel maker is: CLIVE. The stock maker’s name is found stamped in the ramrod channel: LAVITT. The stock is also stamped 79 over 3 on the side of the butt stock.

Recovered from our Nepalese cache purchase of 2003 this Regiment, the XIII Bengal Irregular Cavalry were among those units than mutinied in 1857 and later fled to Nepal only to be disarmed upon entry.

By Treaty agreement with the British, the Nepalese were allowed to keep these seized arms but were required to hang the mutineers.

In truth, they were disarmed but the soldiers were permitted residence within Nepal thereafter explaining today’s large Indian ethnic population there today alongside the traditional Gurkhas.

This is a very rare Carbine cleaned to fine display condition and easily researchable.