December 16, 17, & 18, 2020 Field & Range Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/16/2020
Browned Damascus patterned double barreled percussion smoothbore carbine with back action locks and double triggers. Iron mounted hardwood half-stock with skeletonized pistol-gripped trigger guard and buttplate stamped “SCINDE/IRREGULAR/HORSE” in three lines. Back action locks marked “SWINBURN & SON/1853”. Captive swivel ramrod with large palm disc. Barrels secured by a hooked breech and a single screw through the forend. Breech numbered “57” with stock numbered “10/57” on the obverse near the comb line. Markings suggest gun #57 of the 10 troop (company) of Scinde Cavalry. The Scinde Irregular Horse was established in 1838 and was originally raised in Hyderabad which is located in the Sindh province of modern day Pakistan as part of the East India Company Army. Eventually three regiments of these native horse soldiers were raised during the late 1830s and early 1840s. The regiments were commanded by General John Jacob from their inception through 1856. Jacob’s is best known today as the inventor of the famous Jacob’s Rifle which saw use with some of his Indian forces. These smoothbore double barreled carbines can be viewed as the direct predecessor of the Jacob’s Rifle. The regiments were later combined and redesignated as the 35th Scinde Horse and the 36th Jacob’s Horse after the Indian Mutiny of 1857, when loyal Indian regiments were amalgamated with British regular army forces on the subcontinent. In 1922, the 2 regiments were combined to form the 14th Prince of Wales’ Own Scinde Horse and the regiment served with distinction during World War II. The regiment was disbanded with India’s freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. CONDITION: Good. Retains some faded brown and Damascus patterning on the barrels with scattered surface oxidation and some minor surface roughness. Mechanically functional percussion locks, markings on locks weak, stronger on barrel and wood. Bores moderately oxidized with some discoloration and pitting. Captive ramrod functional. Sling bar typically encountered on this pattern is not present. Wood with moderate wear and scattered bumps, dings, and mars. Wood with added finish and stain and showing less than perfect wood to metal fit along with some chipping around the lock mortises. The stock may be a period of use local replacement, as the overall fit and finish and is not commensurate with the standards of Swinburn & Son. An old thin coat of Cosmoline covers much of the gun. TP
Item Dimensions: L - 37"
Gauge
12 Bore / .72 Caliber
Manufacturer
Swinburn & Son
Model
Double Barreled Scinde Smooth Bore Carbine