The Cossack warrior class is centuries old, but it was the 19th Century that most scholars agree to be the "golden age" of the Cossack fighter. It was during this time, while fighting under the Russian Czarist empire, that the Cossacks helped conquer much of Eurasia and even captured Paris in 1814. Napoleon himself noted the Cossacks skill on horseback and admired the low saddle bow of Cossack riders.
Cossack warriors began military training at a young age. Cossack tradition included the gifting of a horse, spear, sabre, rifle, dagger, two handguns and two sets of winter and summer uniforms as part of a young man's military training. As a semi-nomadic and militarized people, the Cossack people relied heavily on tradition; taking cultural influences from the neighboring Caucasus and Ottoman Empire. These cultural influences are also reflected in the Cossack's choice of military equipment - traditional Cossack firearms are heavily based on Caucasus guns; which in turn were based on weapons from Ottoman-owned Turkey and India.
This particular pistol was built by master historical weapon specialist Steve Krolick. It was built to reflect a typical Cossack pistol from the "Golden Age" of the Cossacks in the 19th Century. It is based on original 19th Century Cossack guns found in Author R. Elgood's series of books on Eastern weaponry. Just like the original Cossack guns, this pistol shows heavy Caucus influences, and is styled after the pistols produced in Tiflis, the capital of Georgia. Tiflis played a dominate role in the production of weapons used throughout the Caucasus region.
The pistol was built around a custom lock with "Tula" Arsenal engraving. Like most of the world during the early 19th Century (including the United States), the Russians largely copied French designs when building military flintlocks, and this "Tula-made" lock is no exception, having been based on the lock used on the French "Model An XIII Flintlock Cavalry Pistol". The lock works perfectly; holding solid on both full and half cock, and throwing a reliable shower of sparks with every pull of the trigger.
The stock was carved from a blank of Arctic Maple. The profile is true to guns from the region and features several distinct features common to original Cossack sidearms; namely the spur trigger, and large carved ball at the bottom of the handle. Additionally, the stock of this pistol was painted black; which is also a feature found on original guns. The stock is in excellent condition with no cracks, chips or other damage.
The . 54 caliber smoothbore barrel was custom turned from arsenal-grade steel. It features a flared "cannon-barrel" muzzle as well as decorative banding at the breech. The barrel and bore are in excellent condition with no rust or pitting inside or out. Unlike Ottoman guns, Cossack weapons tend to have very little embellishments as these weapons were designed for a life of long, hard use. The barrel also features the inscription: "BAK 1809" stamped at the breech; a copy of an original marking found in Elgood's book.
This pistol is new and has been test fired for accuracy and function. We found it to be very accurate and recommend a load of 20 grains of FFg under a patched .545 ball.
To our knowledge Mr. Krolich is the only modern gunsmith to reproduce a true "Cossack" pistol. This custom flintlock is sure to turn heads at the range and would be ideal for living history use/ Crimean War display.
