Pistols
Firearms
Small-caliber, light-weight weapons, like rifles and pistols. These weapons are generally made of three main parts:
– The barrel: a cylindrical metal tube with spiral lines inside the barrel, it ends with the exit hole of the projectile.
– The body: Includes the trigger mechanism.
– The handle: usually made of wood and may be covered with metal sheets.
Pistols:
Material: wood, silver, steel, coral
Description: composed of a short barrel, a trigger mechanism, and a handle, it consists of:
– The barrel: Wooden barrel with flat bars and sides.
– The cannon: Round, attached to the barrel by a silver sleeve.
– The handle: Wooden inlaid with silver and coral.
– The trigger: The trigger guard and its extensions are made of silver and the knob is carved with
a piece of coral.
– The pommel: Silver pommel chiseled with a piece of coral.
Ornament: Inlaid with silver and coral pieces.
Length: varies* from 50 to 62 cm
Algerian museums keep
models of these guns, which date back to the Ottoman period, and the types most used at this
time include the “Arquebuse” rifle, the “Mousquet” rifle, and the “Escopette” rifle.
Recall that the common name of firearms in Algeria was “mkahel”, while pistols are called
“kabous,” the latter they bear other names such as ‘tabnjat’ and “beshtolat,” these words
correspond to the plural of the word pistol.