Jezail

The Jezail is an Afghan matchlock or flintlock musket (an un-rifled long gun) fired from a forked rest.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Jezail is most famous, at least in Western literature, as the weapon which wounded Dr. John Watson - the fictional biographer of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes - during his military service in Afghanistan.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Further details about rifles and rifling and the distinction from a musket.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Afghan: Afghan can refer to any of the following:...

Matchlock: The Matchlock was the first mechanism or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm....

Flintlock: "flintlock" is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The type is now obsolete. Introduced about 1630, it rapidly replaced earlier types, such as the matchlock and wheellock, and continued in common use for over two centuries, replaced by cap and cartridge-based systems...