Original 19th Century Balkan Embossed Brass Clad Miquelet Lock Rat Tail "Pirate" Pistol - circa 1800 - 1820

Original Item: Only One Available. These were often referred to as Miquelet "Rat Tail" Pistols because of the shape of the stock. These were the traditional muzzle loading pistol of the Balkans and Greece in the early to mid 1800s. Designed to be worn in a sash around one's waist, the weapon is very streamlined in appearance. The stock on this example is almost entirely clad in lovely embossed and engraved sheet brass. The Miquelet ignition system is a hangover from High Quality Italian pistols of the 17th and early 18th centuries. This is a particularly nice example retaining ALL its brass cladding, all complete and simply great. The engraved and embossed designs are lovely, and it has an inlet for a faux ramrod under the barrel, which is missing. At sea the ramrod was usually carried on a strap around the neck. We looked, and there are virtually no openings in the cladding, which means that the ramrod channel is the only place you can see the wood of the stock. The back of the wrist