Gun Collectors Dream Auction 63 Day Two
Lot 1011:
Up Next is a Scarce and Interesting Find, We Have a Original British Pattern 1864 Nepalese-Snider 3 Band Rifle, Im Guessing its Chambered in .577 caliber, british parts given to the Nepalese apparently only made in 1864 and 65, only markings are Nepalese Characters. This is a Monster of a Rifle. Antique and No Background Check Required. The story begins more than two centuries ago in the exotic Kingdom of Nepal, located at the foot of the Himalayas. In 1814, the formidable Gurkhas of the Nepalese army invaded northern India, then under the aegis of the British East India Company, and occupied a trio of hill stations. The English did not take this lightly, as, among other political considerations, they could lose an area with some of the most agreeable summer weather on the subcontinent. They counter-attacked, and, though initially rebuffed, after several tries the company forces, under General David Ochterlony, finally subdued the Gurkhas, invaded the Katmandu Valley and threatened the capital. Realizing their position was now untenable, the Nepalese allowed the British to establish a resident at Katmandu and permitted them to cross Nepal and trade with Tibet. As well, the company was allowed to recruit Gurkha soldiers into its armies. As a further part of the agreement, the British vowed to supply the Nepalese armies with small arms, artillery and ammunition. This association ultimately resulted in a huge stockpile of materiel ? some 430 tons of everything from small arms, edged weapons, machine guns and artillery to ammunition and accessories ? that was ultimately allowed to languish in the arsenal until it was finally, and tortuously, brought into the United States several years ago. The amount in the stockpile is so huge that it still has not been completely sorted, and new marvels appear on an almost daily basis ? among them Snider Rifles.
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