COLLECTOR’S CORNER

Rarely see in Britain as yet, the Brunswicks are being sold by International Military Antiques (www.ima-usa.com) for $450$595 in as found condition or $1,095$1,295 once fully restored. Bayonets sell for about $150, and a wide range of replacement parts taken from unusable guns can also be obtained.

Overall quality is surprisingly high, tests suggesting that the Nepalese guns are generally strong enough to withstand use – though the presence of impurities in an occasional barrel undoubtedly counsels caution when firing guns without first submitting them to proof.

Most Nepalese Brunswicks bear a number of 1-3 Nagari digits (only one has been reported with a four-digit number), but whether these are serial numbers in the commonly-accepted sense or are individual-unit inventories is by no means certain. The illustration of the numbers should help with transcription. Unit markings are usually found on the triggerguard strap, though may occasionally lie on the butt-plate tang. They usually include a two-character identifier, a section identifier and an issue number.

A few guns have been seen with approximations of the EIC lion mark on the lockplate. The execution can be crude, and, as some examples are clearly after-market additions, care should be taken. But an occasional gun could easily have been fitted with a cannibalised, but genuine, EIC lock.

I’m keen to learn more about the marks found on these guns and will willingly try to identify them: just contact me, johnwalter@archivingindustry.com