Bird'seye Cane Gun Pt.2 & a Turkish WWI Blade:

Anzac Day 2026. 

Sunday 25 April is our Day of Remembrance for our military who have served.

Anzac stands for the Australian And New Zealand Army Corps, while April 25 1915 was the day they landed at GALLIPOLI in Turkey as an attempted invasion force in WWI.

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Don't bother reading this unless you are a little obsessive like me .. I've been rubbing and polishing with this butt sitting on my lap until it pleaded "Enough Already" 

- Now and then I think I must be daft to keep buying stuff that fills-up my home with "dust gatherers" - that my kids will throw in the garbage when I cark it.

Bloody thing owes me $$$$ - but it gives me a hot flush of warm & cuddlies every time my eye gropes it, that is almost worth the effort ..

To start - it was a little scratched, grubby & sticky - but not bad for a 175 year old - but it buffed up beautifully to enhance it's natural features with a soft cloth and AUTOSOL - but don't tell anyone what I used.

She's been reinforced at the foreward crack, some time back. - The steel underhammer action, while pitted, is fully operational and has interesting gold colored (brass?) insets (brazed repairs? .. hardened steel inserts?)

 

Then again - I dunno - but the screw-off barrel does not indicate a 'Breech-Loading TURN-OFF' as the action's powder chamber does not have a "cup" to seat a ball ..

My guess is that any longarm, shotgun, musket - or even pistol, of the day might have been loaded from the front, with Ball, - Shot, - Buck'n'Ball, - or even a double Ball 'Duplex' load, dependent on the owners fancy.

I've read that if you placed a ball on the palm of your hand and poured blackpowder on top to cover it completely - that then was your charge.

'RULE OF THUMB' - a .457 Rifle Ball was Covered by 50 grains of powder ..

About right for a starting point (Halve it for pistol)

- Charcoal Gun Powders vary a lot in power/strength & grain size, purity of components and dampness, - so even accurate measure by volume will be approximate in result. 

'Birdybutt' really is a lovely thing and there is remnants of an engraved name on the action top surface ..

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I have this antique OTTOMAN / TURKISH knife (bone handled - no sheath) that was recovered from a trench at GALLIPOLI  1915 by a returning ANZAC and sold by disinterested descendents

Blade spine has 21 gold coloured 'insets' plus an H cut through the blade, now visible both sides - but when bought this dagger was dirty/dark/rusted .. without features.

Does anyone have a clue or an explanation?

Marty K.

IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY - WE MUST INSIST THAT ALL NZ POLICE EMPLOYEES QUALIFY FOR, - OBTAIN, AND MAINTAIN THE SAME STANDARD NZ FIREARMS LICENCE in exactly the same way that we citizens are required to. - How can NZ Police claim to be SAFE & well trained without achieving a Firearms Licence?