I picked up this cannon at a gunshow in Pensacola for $150.00. It is going to be my next project gun.
Wow. Damn nice project for $150. What do you plan on doing for the ammo? Are there reloading dies for that baby?
Have you deciphered the Arabic script yet? I was trying to puzzle it out. Speaking it is a whole lot easier than reading it. I have a book somewhere that teaches how to write Arabic. I'll see if I can dig it up. The writing on the right is more formal, like a title. I would guess it to be the makers mark, something like; "The soemthing works" then the bottom line "Of something". The line on the left is a name, probably a city and state or country. The last part looks to have an I and end in N so I am thinking it says "some city, Spain". There are no numerals in it so it doesn't tell the caliber. If I can find that book I can get a better idea of what it says.
It reads: "Made by Hajji Mumjahamja, circa 1909. -He always knew what he wanted to be when he blew up."
This is the best I could come up with. I'm sure it's way off. The Bank Of S(?)L (Sol maybe) K(?)bir(beer) ( maybe Kybeer,Kyber), Spain I'll send it to an Egyptian friend of mine and see if he can read it.
My first thought, although Henry's rifle was from England. SEA, that is a very interesting project, I am curious to see where it takes you. Hopefully when you are through with it you will seek out the appropriate big game to use it on.
I haven't been able to find much history on them. I am curious about the Arabic inscription. I read that they were plentiful in Africa and India. Maybe it could have been made in Morrocco or some other North African muslim nation. After some more study I am doubting the "Spain". The only thing I can be sure of is "The" blank "Of" blank. I sent it off to a couple of Arab friends and am waiting to hear back from them. Strange that there is no date on it. I can read arabic numerals but there are none in the inscription. Letters are hard. It depends on the position in the word as to how they are written. You write a "T" one way if it starts a word, another if it is in the middle, and yet another if it ends the word. Damned hard lanquage to decipher.
Damn, you just ruined the whole book! JUST JOKING. I am only half way through the book and he has not bought a 4 bore yet.
http://news.webshots.com/photo/1304293252015913979aInceO Not a 4 Bore, but a hint at the config. Note the extent of the forearm.
Theoretically if Henry was to buy a rifle that is, he mentioned early in the book something about them being made in England.
May be, but it is in block form not cursive as is custom with Allah. The vertical slash mark is "Alif" and the large U shaped character is "Lam" which forms the word "Al" or "The". The bottom right starts with the same "Alif" then the "Dal" symbol which would make it Ad or Of. Of course Arabic is read right to left. One of my friends will write me back and tell us what it says for sure.
Proofed since 1968 in Belgium? http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/proofmarks.html Admittedly, the date that dave-cushman cites is not very firm. Sumsing ees steel feeshy. If that cannon was black powder proofed that recently, it has seen storage in a manure pile. Also see http://damascus-barrels.com/Belgian_All_Proofmarks.html Is it flint or percussion? (Not that it makes any difference so far as proofing goes.)
My book says since 1768, when British law made it mandatory that all imported weapons had to be proof-tested and marked.
