Original Item: Invented by General Sri Sri Sri Maharajah Gehendra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1871-1905) the Bira Double Barreled Quick Fire Rifle was a copy of the American Gardner Gun. In Martini-Henry .577/450 caliber fed from a double stacked 120rnd pan magazine (like a Lewis Gun) the weapon was fired by a crank handle not unlike the American Gatling Gun. Interestingly, however, it required cranking backwards (counter-clockwise) which the Nepalis consideredmore efficient; to “pull” than to “push”.
Watch IMA’s own antique gun expert Alex shoot the Bira Gun on History Channel’s Pawn Stars:
These remarkable weapons were developed in Nepal in 1896 and 1897 just after Great Britain opened the flood gates with gifts of “modern” military hardware in 1894. Constructed of plate steel festooned with large rivets, the receiver and wheeled mount resemble the construction of Jules Verne’s “Nautilus” from 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.
Every example in our inventory has been expertly cleaned and restored by Curtis Wolf of Ordnance Research who has been involved in the firearms manufacturing field for more than 30 years. His work in restoring antique…
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