Nepalese Guns

Nepalese Guns

6th Aug 2020

Nepalese Weapons from the British Presence in India


Part of the fascination with museums is the fact that we get to stand by and look at an age, perhaps even a realm or civilization, which is lost to us forever. We get to gape and gawk at the artifacts of an untouchable time while visions of glory and adventure fill our minds. As clearly demonstrated by the numerous “Do Not Touch” signs in every museum, there is something mystical about holding, or even just touching for the briefest of moments, a piece of history. Fingerprints stain the glass panes separating onlookers from the treasures of history as they strain to hold a part of the world, now gone. Replicas and recreations of various historical artifacts are incredible because we get to see our past as it would have been seen at the time of its creation, in all its splendor. There is something magical, however, in being able to hold a piece of the world as it remains to us now. I know that for me personally, getting to touch or hold an ancient historical artifact makes me feel special, like I belong to a highly selective club of people that have directly experienced the past.

What could be more incredible than going to a museum and being allowed by the curator to touch, hold, and play with whatever you want for an hour? How about being able to personally own a piece of history for the rest of your life? That is what we’re offering you, history.  Kukri knivesrefurbished gunsuntouched gunsbayonets & swords, and even spare parts to all the guns and blades are all on the table. You don’t need a college degree to handle these antique pieces of history, you just need desire. Do you want a refurbished gun that has been cleaned up yet still has an antique, battle scarred feel to it? Or would you rather have a completely untouched gun with a century of dust and grease caked on it? Our kukri knives still have the signs of battle on them. Our swords have worn down through the ages but still possess their beautiful aura of power and adventure.

I know from personal experience what it is like to hold these relics. The kukri knives are sturdy and hefty, made of a heavy, solid steel they fill your body with power. The weight is forward on the blade which makes them perfect for chopping. Every gun we sell has a piece of history attached to it. Many of our guns were the mainstay firearm of the British army in India and Africa in the 1800's. They took part in battles against many tribes in Africa, most famous of these being the Zulu. These guns also took part in battles against the Gurkha in Nepal and later, when the Nepalese allied with the British, they were used to devastating effect by the Gurkha.

Eight Gurkha Men, commissioned by William Fraser in 1815 while he was Deputy Resident of Delhi

It was in the highly skilled hands of the Gurkha that many of these guns, though outdated and obsolete at the time, became most deadly. In Christian Cranmer’s book  Treasure is Where You Find It, he explains how he came across these relics with the help of Sudhir Windlass. He also explains a little bit about their history. To even begin to understand the strength of these warriors, a quick look at their accomplishments is in order. In the early 1800's, the British East India Company found itself locked in conflict with the small mountain kingdom of Nepal. The British dispatched four grand armies to defeat the Nepalese. Three of the four armies were annihilated by the Gurkha soldiers who used far inferior weaponry to the British. Once they became allies and the Nepalese were equipped with slightly more modern guns, they were even more effective soldiers. To this day, Gurkha contingents serve in the British Army and took part in the Iraq War.

The Nusseree Battalion later known as the 1st Gurkha Rifles circa 1857

The specific details on all the antique guns we offer can be found in John Walter’s book  Guns of the Gurkhas, however, due to the overwhelming quantity and variety of guns we offer, I won’t go into all the details here. Entire books have been written on the selection we have and to attempt to condense all that knowledge into this article would be to cheapen their incredible history. What is important to note, though, is that these weapons are going fast and once they’re gone, they’re gone. We don’t manufacture these. We found these in Nepal and have a limited quantity. If you want to own a very interesting and cool piece of history then you’ve got to act now. You can own your very own, personal piece of the past today.

by Alex Smith, MRL staff writer