Snider Camel Gun

Kind of a cool rifle. Possibly an Afghan tribesman who couldn't afford a "Jezail" but wanted to fit in with something having the look. An Enfield Mk II* is a pretty early Snider conversion and it's too bad that there's no British unit markings left on it (I'm assuming there aren't). By the time of the big uprisings on the NW Frontier in the late 1890's, the various tribes were well equipped with Sniders and Martinis although the old hand-made Jezail types were still being used. A very nice addition to a Snider collection.

milsurpo
 
Kind of a cool rifle. Possibly an Afghan tribesman who couldn't afford a "Jezail" but wanted to fit in with something having the look. An Enfield Mk II* is a pretty early Snider conversion and it's too bad that there's no British unit markings left on it (I'm assuming there aren't). By the time of the big uprisings on the NW Frontier in the late 1890's, the various tribes were well equipped with Sniders and Martinis although the old hand-made Jezail types were still being used. A very nice addition to a Snider collection.

milsurpo

I can't find any unit markings, the stock was carved from an original Snider stock and the butt plate was lost, see this picture;

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2H2EugyejrRHc6Gv6

I'm curious if it was used by the British?
 
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I've seen a couple of those before.

Back in the early eighties International Firearms, out of Montreal, brought in a batch of firearms that included several Jezails and other one off muzzle loaders. They all looked like they had been well used and well taken care of. They were selling them dirt cheap. Supposedly they came from Syria/Iran/Ethiopia.

Included in the batch I saw, were muzzle loaders of different types, that had started life as military issue as well as Sniders and a few Martini rifles chambered in 577-450 and a few in 303 British. There were also a few oddballs that I didn't recognize.

I suspect they were confiscated from Bedouin tribesmen that wanted something more convenient and accurate than a village forge produced muzzle loader.

The people from that area are well versed in firearms and adapting them to their personal needs/sensibilities.
 
Looks like a hand-made Jezail snider Enfield. Any info on where it came from?

I bought it at a gun show but was not able to get any history on it. I would say it is all original Snider with an original Snider stock carved into this unique shape.
 
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