Original Balkan Brass Decorated Miquelet Flintlock Jezail Musket with Steel Clad Stock c.1800 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The Jezail (sometimes Jezzail from the Arabic) is a simple, cost-efficient and typically handmade muzzle-loading long arm commonly used in the Middle East region in the past. These were all highly personalized, so no two were alike. They were often made with locally available locks, so it was common to see locks on these that were of varied origin.

Offered here is a most attractive and relatively unusual Miquelet Lock Jezail Musket. Often used by the Mountain Bandits of the Balkans, these Miquelet Jezail Muskets were used all over the Greek peninsula and across the Middle East. This particular example is from the Balkans, and like many we have seen from that area, the entire stock is clad in embossed sheet steel. The barrel bands and much of the ornamentation is heavily embossed brass, and there are bone and mother of pearls inlay panels on the butt stock. This is classic design dating to the Barbary and Aegean pirates of the Mediterranean.

The Miquelet lock is fashioned after the Spanish Miquelet lock of the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. The Jezail measures 54 1/2″ in overall length, and the barrel alone is 42″ long. It still has a ramrod, though it is frozen in the stock. There are markings on the top of the barrel, which look to be Greek or Balkan writing, which we are unfortunately unable to read. There are also some scratched in markings on the right side of the barrel, which we cannot read.

In all a very romantic long gun that were said be be very accurate despite being smooth bore. The miquelet lock hammer still moves, but does not hold at half or full cock due to alignment issues. This item is for DISPLAY ONLY and should not be fired.

Truly impressive and a great Display piece, probably 200 years old. Fully cleaned and ready to hang on the wall.

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.

Specifications: 

Years of Manufacture: Circa 1800
Caliber: approx .59 inches
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 41 inches
Overall Length: 54 1/2 inches
Action: Miquelet Lock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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.