Crude Khyber Pass Webley Revolver Copy

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The town of Dara Adam Khel has became a locus of firearms manufacture in response to the British occupation of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 19th century, and it has remained dedicated to that industry to the present day. While much of the firearms manufacturing there is done to a much higher standard than most people would expect, some shops are also quite happy to make cheap, poor-quality guns. It is those cheap examples that have become associated with the region for many people, and today we are looking at one such revolver.
This is a Khyber Pass copy of a Webley MkIV revolver in .32 caliber. It is in quite poor condition, with misspelled markings and several broken internal parts.It is a perfect representation of the stereotypical Khyber gun…
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[@Omnihil777]

Once had a "Khyber pass" pistol in my hands that was crafted masterfully, P-38 alike. I played with the leather holster and the (obviously empty) bullet belt as a child, had a purple felt lining. Worked like a charm, even the blueing was great. My father brought it back from there, he was building the Tarbela Dam back in the 70s there and a village chief or similar gave it to him because he was the only western guy (out of many) who fought for the working conditions of the pakistani workers there. That was the reason why they send him home in the end. Yeah, german sub contractor at the times, great eh? He tells stories to this day how they collected the workers in the morning with trucks, armed guys with whips. No joke, bull whips. They worked till they got enough money to feed the family for a month and then stayed at home so somebody thought it was a good idea to forcefully pull them out of their homes in the morning. My father couldn't stand it, they beat him up several times, threw him in jail and held an AK-47 in his face because he was fighting against that treatment of workers. Corruption was big, life was cheap. But they didn't dare to kill him, otherwise I wouldn't be here and writing this long-ass comment no-one will ever read. True story.

[@TheWarmotor]

I reat it :) Thank you for sharing, friend.

[@nickrollstuhlfahrerson8659]

Thanks for sharing mate

[@zxggwrt]

I read it. Also this episode is bringing out some great stories. I don’t doubt for a second that they are mostly true and yours especially sounds accurate from what I have read about the region.

[@Melanie16040]

That was a fairly normal size comment. I have seen ones over 10x longer than yours. Don't worry, it wasn't too big.

[@causewaykayak]

Agreed . Nice comment and lies comfortably alongside the historical provenance of the pistol reviewed here. Great video as ever. I'm sure these small workshops made firearms to use against the more recent NATO occupation powers. Back when such places took off as centres of production it wasn't thought peculiar for blacksmiths anywhere to fabricate weapons. Its only recently that controls and regulation have crept in. Since this channel is nicely free from politics I shall leave off contemplating the nature of the forces striving for control or outright bans.

[@Orangejr36]

I will never get tired of these copies. Every one is unique and the skill required to even get close to modern weapon design with hand tools is incredibly impressive. Their little quirks and flaws are fingerprints of their makers.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

One thing I dont get is: how come these tool-shop guns (or Chinese mystery pistols) never have working sites? That is the one thing on a gun that would seem self-explanatory. Yet many times I have seen him point out that there was an attempt to make something resembling a sight, without any knowledge of its purpose. I would think that that would be one of the most obvious things about firearms after "point the boom end away from yourself."

[@hoilst265]

There's a whole bunch of vids of Pakistanis making crazy shit in what are insanely spartan conditions on here. It's "Making Engine For Truck" and you think, oh, it's gonna be them like uncrating something from Isuzu- no, no, they're casting the block themselves in a small lean-to.

[@piatpotatopeon8305]

This is the exact reason I hope to one day visit the scenic Khyber Pass.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

The Pakistani revolver, but it's copy from British

[@kilianortmann9979]

@@extragoogleaccount6061 A sight is probably not a priority for the target demographic of a gun like this.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

I've lived and worked in the area of The Pass. They're crazy guys, I remember watching a workshop make an anti aircraft gun, similar to a Bofors.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

I had a pair of four bore shotguns from there. They were very nicely made.

[@broitsmikey]

The government tries to shut the shop down "Muhammed, pass the 20mm"

[@Ass_of_Amalek]

maybe somebody found ammunition and commissioned them to make a gun for it? xD

[@AsbestosMuffins]

​@@broitsmikey more like "pass the almost 20mm shells" not that those guns are picky

[@agate_jcg]

My father visited Darra Adam Khel during the Afghan-Soviet war in the '80s and said they were selling Stinger missiles. Presumably they didn't make working ones themselves, but my Dad didn't have the expertise to know if they were genuine American equipment, total fakes, or something in between.

[@DanStaal]

On the skill level some of these places have - a friend of ours was working in the Somalia/Ethiopia border regions and had a Colt revolver. He asked one of the local groups if he could have a copy made as a second one. (Because it'd be cheaper than buying from Colt.) No problem, they said - leave it with us for a few days. He got them both back, was impressed with the work, etc. A few years later he realized he'd forgotten which was the original, and he couldn't tell them apart, so he sent them to Colt, with the story, saying he wanted to know which was which. He got back a note saying that both were excellent workmanship and any gunsmith would be proud to have made them - but that neither had been made by Colt.

[@Ashcrash82]

sounds like somebody got themselves a free Colt revolver.....

[@DanStaal]

@@Ashcrash82 Yep, someone did.

[@googiegress7459]

I love this story so much, thank you

[@ianfinrir8724]

I feel like I should've seen the ending coming but it still hit me like a truck.

[@abhajihadi]

😂

[@catherineburton195]

I once handled a copy AK-47 there. It was anything but crude. Like an English Best Gun is usually beautifully engraved with the prey birds, this AK was engraved with the prey - Russian tanks and aircraft. It was a thing of beauty.

[@aaron6178]

I would guess those kinds of weapons would be a status symbol amongst the tribal folk. Gifting of swords was a big thing in the region for eons.

[@njones420]

I have an Afghan war-rug in my study ... beautiful middle-eastern rug, with AKs, Helicopters, tanks etc woven into it. :)

[@tenmil1]

@@njones420 where do I acquire one?!?

[@JW-lp2eo]

​@@tenmil1 I'm going to guess Afganistan

[@edrollie9923]

That is probably a second year apprentice's workmanship examination. The Webley has been used as a standard examination piece for second year apprentices in the Khyber Pass since 1941. The other school that is still active uses the Tokarev TT-30. A common hiring question is "Are you a 30 or a Mark?" Thanks for finding this Ian. It looks to me to be quite well done, I feel confident this gunsmith went on to become one of the masters.

[@borjesvensson8661]

Did not know it was that full on organised!

[@bjrnegillarsen1380]

I believe the weapons from the region have gotten an unfair bad reputation mostly because it has been the "saturday night specials" mostly that have made their way to the US and Europe while the high quality examples have stayed behind in the hands of local collectors, tribal leaders and high ranking officials

[@brittakriep2938]

A longer time ago, i , german, saw a german TV documentation. There was shown, that customers (?)/ Kunden of those gunmakers/ gunsmiths ( in german Büchsenmacher) tested the weapons, for islamic law this ,customer test' seems to be an important thing.

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

Plus, I imagine that the really good copies occasionally just get mistaken for the real thing.

[@stevejohnson6593]

yeah, counterfeit guns should be respected

[@khairulhelmihashim2510]

Ian needs a study trip to Khyber Pass to document gun manufacturing and some test firing.

[@controlfreak1963]

Not recommended these days without a brigade of Pak soldiers.

[@Ass_of_Amalek]

would be cool, but very unsafe area. the pakistani taliban have recently been increasing their attacks a lot, and I'm pretty sure that place is totally in their (pashtun) territory. I saw a VICE video like 10 years ago from there, but I suspect that VICE just pays huge bribes, that they basically prearrange ransom payments to get their people back out.

[@CHMichael]

Not a good place - was next door in the 90s when it was considered safe - and that are wasn't safe back then.

[@tombogan03884]

@@controlfreak1963 If any one could do it reasonably safely it would be either Ian, telling the locals the history of their gear. SOMEONE is going to pipe up as a fellow "Gun guy" 🤣 Or Othias, just BSing his way in. LOL

[@1lovesoni]

I suspect the locals wouldn't be too forthcoming with an American outsider. I've seen other reports in the area where shopkeepers/locals seem to not want anyone they don't know poking around, and they seem fairly displeased with any filming. Plus the added danger of being targeted by radical groups. I suspect that if you don't speak the language, don't look correct, and don't already know locals, then nobody else there is going to feel comfortable being associated with you.

[@vibeslide]

I always like when Ian reminds his audience that the vast majority of us wouldn't be able to create anything like this.

[@r0b3rt_959]

3D printer go brrrrr

[@googiegress7459]

@@r0b3rt_959 And I'm sure you know just how well THOSE weapons perform, just trying to get it to fire is a challenge. That's also a matter of tool ownership; having a 3d printer doesn't mean you have any creative or manufacturing skill, much like owning a gun does not upgrade in any way your quality as a human.

[@arthurmoore9488]

@@googiegress7459 Anyone who can run their 3d printer well enough to make a working firearm likely has enough skill to make one out of metal. Plus could probably convert their 3d printer into a CNC. It's why 3d printed guns are and always will be a niche hobby.

[@googiegress7459]

@@arthurmoore9488 I'd argue that it's harder to make a good firearm with a 3d printer, and you're better off using shop tools. That wasn't my point. I was giving a counterpoint to Robert who seemed to be saying that you can push a button and make a gun on a 3d printer with no skills. Sounds like you agree with me :) As for converting a 3d printer into a CNC ... I dunno man. Seems better to just buy a CNC.

[@joshwist556]

@@googiegress7459 With how quick tech is going. We might see metal 3D-printing become common usage in the later 2 decades.

[@itatane]

On a related note, in Rajasthan, there used to be a pretty thriving historical firearms industry. (They were some of the best people to turn to for historically accurate leather shoes and a few other items as well.) Some of the pieces were indeed, no better than Rajasthani Sewer Pipes. However, I recall a couple reliable makers who took an inordinate amount of care in their manufacturing quality. One in particular, Narayan Jagannath Sikligar, proofed every gun that he produced with smokeless powder. I was skeptical of the Enfield Cavalry carbine that I had picked up at a gun show, but it turned out to be a first rate reproduction. (As an aside, the only catastrophic muzzleloader failure I have seen happen was when the 150th PA reenactors out of Meadville had a live shoot, and an Armi Sport Enfield burst at the breech.)

[@neohyberboreantechnosteppe3185]

You say "used to", did it get shut down?

[@itatane]

@@neohyberboreantechnosteppe3185 Sorry for the confusion! They may still be active, I quit reenacting years ago and stopped paying attention to the industry. I think Veteran Arms gets some of their stuff from the region.

[@boingkster]

Crude? Khyber Pass? Revolver??! Oh hell yes, here we go! Cheers Ian for all your awesome work and coverage of such obscure items. Thanks again!

[@sameerkhan3757]

Hey Ian.. 🤗😊 I am from khyber Region... (Pakistani region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)... I always get so happy when a see a gun from my area making it to you table.. 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼❤️🔫☺️☺️ If you come to my city Peshawar and you roam. Around you will find plenty of these revolvers even today at gun shops... Most of the people now keep it as a history piece.

[@johnmcclain3887]

I spent a fair amount of time in the "west Pacific", the orient, as a Marine, and I've always really enjoyed the work of those men who replicate machine made with their skilled hand work. I've seen some of the "machine shops" that put these things out and the skill level of the smiths is truly amazing. Of course the same sort of skill is displayed in a vast variety of "hand manufactured" facsimiles of "common use western machinery" from farm equipment to medical accessories.

[@nickrollstuhlfahrerson8659]

Everyone has to start somewhere, especially a kyber pass master gun craftsman, I guess

[@forkthepork]

The missing "H" is amazing

[@chrisball3778]

Place names ending in the suffix 'ham' are found all over England. It was a term used in Old English to denote a village, and it's the same word that gives us the terms 'hamlet' and 'home'. Birmingham is just the biggest city that ends with those letters. Whether the 'H' is pronounced varies from place to place. Because of this, omitting the silent H from 'Birmingham' wouldn't actually simplify spelling for British people- we'd have to remember which places used the H and which didn't. Our place names are already a complete nightmare to spell and pronounce, even for us, so no thanks.

[@Bomberm4n]

As a native British English speaker the 'H' on Birmingham is often used - depending on dialect :D

[@bobjohnson1633]

Only Americans speak real English. Something magic any the continent, because even the Ozzies and kiwis can't do it right.

[@no1DdC]

@@bobjohnson1633 The funny thing is that American English is more similar to the way British people spoke a few hundred years ago than modern British English is.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

​@@no1DdC what accents through? Americas accents are more homogeneous but theres still quite a few. Regional accents in Britain would have been even more distinct that long ago

[@urmum3773]

@@no1DdC "The funny thing is that American English is more similar to the way British people spoke a few hundred years ago than modern British English is." British people a few hundred years ago had thousands of accents, so which one are you talking about? P.S you're wrong anyway, the closet accent today to how English was commonly spoken 300 years ago is west country English, and RP is closer to that than American English.

[@urmum3773]

@@no1DdC I think I've seen this exact comment atleast a thousands times in the last year, and it's not even true, people are so gullible

[@umairjamil4831]

Ian if you wanna come and see the area I would be more than happy to show you around. There are a lot of different things here that would amaze you

[@dannagy546]

"On the cheaper end" its better than anything i could do in 100 years with modern tools!

[@Ass_of_Amalek]

yeah I don't agree with that categorisation, having seen the other crude gun videos on this channel (both khyber pass and chinese). that revolver looks poperly shaped and finished all around and has really proper rifling, and apparently almost correct markings. it's non-functional due to mechanical issues, but ian didn't clarify if any of those would have been present from the beginning, and based on the general quality of the gun, and especially the proper rifling, I would guess that it did originally function. I think the skill and effort required to make it look that good are more than the skill and effort required to make it function.

[@googiegress7459]

I guarantee you could go through a gunsmithing education, apprentice out, get some experience, and be able to make excellent product in just a few years total. It's more a matter of whether you're willing to invest the time and money, whether you're interested in the work enough to spend that time. The shop full of machine tools may cost you a pretty penny. At that point, when you're capable of making a thing, the question is how much time are you putting into each unit? You can really dial down on something and make it absolutely perfect if you take all the time in the world, but nobody will want to spend the $50k you'd need to charge for that item!

[@danielwendell542]

Khyber pass firearms will always be a favorite of mine; it looks like someone traced the original firearm. The skill level to create these is astounding, especially in the environment they are made. Awesome!

[@misolgit69]

I remember many years ago reading an article in Guns & Ammo magazine about this area one of the lines was you could purchase anything from an AK47 to a fountain pen that fired 22 long rifle

[@TorquilBletchleySmythe]

The reason the "H" is in Birmingham is due to the Old English derivation, a "Ham" being a settlement or village. Following the syntax, one would pronounce the "H"less Birmingam as "Birmin-Gam". The H is less silent than it is indicative. Thus endeth the lesson...

[@thenowhere4882]

Look at that cylinder windmill!!

[@akatripclaymore.9679]

We want to see more Mouser's & Welby's

[@l0b0t59]

Thanks, Ian. These are my favorite kinds of FW videos; I love the historical content. You are, far and away, my first choice for KZbin firearms info.

[@MrAstrojensen]

I believe Elbonia has found themselves a new supplier of small arms.

[@hoilst265]

Perfect for carrying on up.

[@robertcolbourne386]

Love that movie lolol

[@tsebuilder_wa3389]

Another fantastic example of a "forgotten weapon". Thanks for finding these

[@kentlindal5422]

They lose points for not once stamping "Wauser" on the gun.

[@kmech3rd]

Wouldn't a "Mebley" have been more apropos?

[@ziaulislam5048]

thanks Ian for recognising and sorting things out regarding our arms markets. darra adamkhel has improved a lot over the years. they are now making their own designs with such great quality.

[@causewaykayak]

It would be good to have more coverage. I see many videos of workshops in India and Pakistan that produce really great results on basic machines. It is good to recognise the skills these craftsmen have. Too bad they are always getting negative comments about health and safety working practices . The skill in the hands is what should impress us.

[@andersjjensen]

@@causewaykayak Health and safety working practices tends to go out the windows when feeding the family is on the line. If they got more international coverage the price would go up and soon after shop equipment would too.

[@arthurmoore9488]

@@andersjjensen Half of it is lack of PPE. That's a cultural issue, and something we see even in the West.

[@MythrodonX]

Colour me impressed lads, a certified carry for any gentleman of the common wealth.

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338]

“ common wealth “ sounds like a very polite way of calling someone poor

[@Billy_Bad_Ass]

Very proper English. Love it!

[@googiegress7459]

@@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338 Closer to "those of you whom we have conquered"

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@Billy_Bad_Ass - Not really. ‘Commonwealth’ is one word, and this piece dates from before the creation of the British Commonwealth.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Proof marks on a gun they didn't actually proof test.

[@lafeelabriel]

Never ceases to amaze me the stuff you can see coming out of this part of the world.

[@kodiakkeith]

I have a copy of a Colt Police Positive completely made of brass, also in .32 like the one above. I have no provenance but the story is that it came from the Pacific as a war trophy. The stocks are teak or some other red hardwood and it's a handsome little piece. I wouldn't shoot it on a dare, but somebody did because the rifling is worn in the rear and only visible in the front inch or so of the barrel.

[@casualbear6295]

Khyber pass guns really seem to range from “masterful example of expertise” to “less than sober mekboy” and I love it.

[@afnanmehmood3827]

More of these Darra Adam khel videos please and do videos on some of their best quality weapons too.

[@johnfisk811]

Lovely to see this Ian. Yes the cheap end, so omitting any heat treatment and using whatever steel was to hand. You, perhaps, over emphasised the role of British presence in the rise Afridi gunmaking. Weapons were the daily wear of men in the region. As firearms became more technically advanced the need arose for more skilled gunmakers beyond that of village smiths. Hence the rise of skilled Afridi gunmakers in a full time commercial environment where steel could be bought and a variety of gun types and qualities marketed. The quality depended partly on wealth but also purpose. The cheap end was worn as jewellery and the working quality was secondary as long as it could go bang at close range. It grew because of the wide area commercial market. The Afghan government of that time was establishing proper powered factories making Martini rifles, for example, on the latest machinery to British standards. The Afridi market was to civilians who needed a hand gun and a rifle to have social respectability. This all has continued and the factories there brought in modern equipment as technology progressed. Like the Basque gunmakers they combine to deal with large orders and, like the old English ones, sub contract to smaller shops. The bottom end supplies working jewellery with rough finishes and soft steel, the upper end can use CNC machinery and doubtless 3d printing will come in if not already. The best end gets you good steel, well heat treated and finely finished with close tolerances. Actually many used to be fired very little bar celebration blanks. It needs to be looked at in a cultural context but equally as a commercial centre for civilian arms.

[@uwu_smeg]

very interesting write-up, thank you!

[@judelarkin2883]

I’ve known about the guns made in that region and wondered about the quantity. You can’t tell from documentary coverage and of course to most reporters it’s just a gun. There is also an interesting cottage industry of gun making in the Philippines.

[@chlebowg]

Had a similar one in .32 with a cross bolt safety below the hammer while serving in Astan.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

I have a friend from PK. He used to tell me about some of the places he visited in PK that made knock offs of WWII guns. He sent me a couple of pictures of a gun rack full of replica Kar98's and Mosin Nagant's and was even allowed to fire a few of them. A lot of the bigger parts would have been made/replicated by using a method known as sand casting.

[@timblunderbusbehan936]

I've always found your videos fascinating and informative, especially as living in the UK where our firearms laws prevent us from getting close to many of the firearms that you feature, but this one made me smile a little more than usual as I live in Birmingam

[@kbjerke]

Well, it looks good from *far,* but far from good! Thanks, Ian!

[@chubbyjohnson5480]

Extremely interesting copy! Thank you, Ian, for bringing us these wonderful relics!

[@hendrickziegler8487]

A colaboration between Ian and Strange Parts visiting these artisan workshops sounds awesome to me

[@MrMoustaffa]

Man Id love to have a kyber pass gun. Theyre all so unique and even the cheap ones have a surprising amount of neat little quirks and details. May never shoot it but would make for a cool wallhanger

[@danielwood5297]

Absolutely correct about people collecting a story as well as the firearm. Not only is it for the collectors knowledge but they/we also enjoy retelling the story. It makes the firearm that much more interesting

[@duanequam7709]

I will never get tired of listening to you amazing commentary on all things guns. You always make it understandable. Thanks for all you do.

[@chiphailstone589]

I have one in .38. Its a combo of MK2,3 and 4's. Buff horn grips and "WEBLEV" and wierd wackensmacks all over it. Lockup is worn and the cylender moves a bit when cocked, so I do not fire it.

[@comradeclaus]

My grandfather owned one of these and a TT copy from the same region, found them in his stuff when he passed away. The Revolver was actually good quality but something in it was broken due to years of not being taken care of, the TT replica was pretty low quality (have an Original Norinco TT to compare it to), but it still worked. I’ve seen many other interesting firearms from Khyber over the years, from weird M16s to Tiny AKs. Ian did get the legal stuff about the region correct though, due to the new laws, the gunsmiths have been requiring more licenses and permits, which has been troubling their businesses, but such is the price for regulating things. There are however efforts underway to preserve the gunsmithing as an historic industry, however due to the closer border with afghanistan and end of local conflicts, there’s simply less buyers for their weapons now, which has led to many shops and factories closing. The only customer for them now is locals. Still, incredibly interesting place and even better stories. If Ian ever visits Pakistan we’d be happy to take him there and show him around. He can probably find some pretty historic stuff 😂

[@Seallussus]

Khyber pass guns are awesome. The cheaper and more crude the more fun they are to do a video on.

[@AllAboutSurvival]

I enjoy these kinds of information. Love the effort and research and time you took to share with us for your subscribers

[@mikepette4422]

"Its like poetry it just works"

[@TheRogueWolf]

Khyber Pass: Where you can find guns, and "guns".

[@davidnicholas7516]

Way back in the day, maybe 35-40 years ago, I went with a friend to a gun store to pick up a Lee Enfield No. 4 he was buying, and we both looked around. They had a Khyber Pass K '98 that, near as anyone could tell, was pretty much perfectly made, but it obviously wasn't German. It was covered in Arabic or Pashtun or whatever writing, some script I couldn't read. I wasn't that knowledgable about guns back then (still am not *that* knowledgeable) but I was told that while the parts weren't interchangeable, it functioned flawlessly.

[@michelguevara151]

allways interesting the things they manage to produce in the khyber pass

[@martinswiney2192]

Now I know what those wedge shape pieces are for. Never had understood the purpose but that makes sense. Ok. Now admit that the guy that made the hammer and break top release did so with a file sitting beside a campfire. The reason there is no H in Birmingham is because he repurposed that stencil to make a proof mark stencil.

[@abhajihadi]

I have one Beretta m9a3 Dara made. Works perfectly. At the beginning it was sometime problematic during bullet loading. But after firing more the hundred round now it does not stop while loading. Work perfectly. I love it

[@beatrute2677]

ive heard that some real nice stuff comes out of the khyber pass along with the terrible.

[@peterconnan5631]

The position of the locking bolt cuts in the cylinder is scary!

[@Protecter117]

I love the recognition of the correct pronunciation of the English Birmingham, as well as the snide comment about the English language and the lack of any phonetic consistency.

[@nealheidekat5726]

Thank you for the enthusiastic and respectful information!

[@1248dl]

I appreciate the history of the area. I knew some of it but your assessment is very informative.

[@James-lr3xg]

Kyber pass firearms are some of my favorite videos you put out.

[@shaider1982]

Hope Ian can review guns from Danao City, Cebu, Philippines in the future.

[@dlmsarge8329]

Was thinking the very same thing!! Some of the videos from there are terrific!

[@RandomSubs94]

5:33 I'm convinced that Ian made this video just to throw this bit of shade on the British. Thanks man, once again I always learn something new from your videos.

[@Eric-vs2he]

Kinda curious, how do they rifle the barrel? Like do they have a dedicated barrel rifling machine?

[@donwyoming1936]

It's amazing to see them torch cut a pistol frame some scavenged boiler plate and mill it into a frame using repurposed drill presses. Never see any heat treating or quality control.

[@bholdr----0]

VOCE News has a great vid where they go here and document the gun manufactories in the area and try some indigenous copies. It's worth a watch.

[@luqmanhanif4578]

My father having this revolver first 1976 one is 38 bore and know since 1978 32 bore revolver and the monster still in excellent condition and working. Love from Pakistan

[@krude47]

The most egregious town spelling in England belongs to "Reading", which is pronounced "Redding" and used to be spelled as such, until for some reason they changed their minds.

[@cgi2002]

It's because read is a tenseless word. Its future, current and past tense depending on context. I plan to read a book. I am reading a book. I have read a book. In the case of the town Reading, it uses the past tense version. But I agree redding makes more sense, but reeding also would be better for non-native british english speakers. As for the "hams" I have a ham surname, which we pronounce as "um", but that's an accent thing. Switch to a more bbc friendly accent and it reverts to ham. So Birmingham is "birmingum" the way I pronounce it, but go back to a more queens english and it gets its ham back. In reality though you'll find most of the country pronounce it as "why the fk would I wanna go to that place" or just as "that *$%@ hole down south, no the other one that's not London".

[@CobraDBlade]

I would be so tempted to buy a copy like that, then give it to a local gunsmith and watch his brain melt.

[@Nam8Macs]

Truly this is one of the forgotten weapons of all time

[@ZGryphon]

At last, a worthy competitor to Smill & Wilson of Sprangfeld.

[@Matt-xc6sp]

Dara Adam Khel is fascinating to me. I’d love to go there but, you know, Pakistan. Also pesky import laws would probably keep me from bringing back any “souvenirs”.

[@Ass_of_Amalek]

other than the mechanical problems, this actually looks quite well-made to me. if this is not a good one, then ian needs to finally show some of those alleged "well-made khyber pass guns"!

[@tomwilliams8675]

"This gun is non of these"🤣😄 Thanks Ian. During that pistols lifetime I wonder how many times it was fired while the timing wore out until it started splitting bullets in half in the face of the shooter.

[@djowen5192]

Oh America, don't ever stop. 'Ham' Place-name suffix, variously indicating a settlement, farm or enclosure. From the old English with West Germanic root. Quite often but not always refers to a settlement within or enclosed by a waterway. 😊

[@alexwood1142]

In 6th century English Birmingham is the home (ham) of the tribe (ing) of a leader called Birm or Beorma.

[@jansenart0]

A monument to human ingenuity.

[@wrxs1781]

It is also much like my 1934 Enfield revolver in .38 S&W.

[@weirdautumn]

The Pathologic revolver :3

[@User_Un_Friendly]

I'm wondering if we're going to see this revolver again in another video, because we already know Ian is planning to put a bid in...🤣

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Cheers Ian. I like these eclectic ones.

[@boylukefirearms]

thanks for your work guys👍🏼

[@keenanmcbreen7073]

If i did get into collecting some sort of firearms, Khyber Pass or the Chinese knockoff stuff would probably be what i would collect, its like a special kind of mechanical art.

[@prithwijitkb4305]

Our standard issue handgun is Glock 17 but still I like Smith & Webley Revolvers. it may be old but it works .......

[@ForgottenLore]

It's crazy the amount of labour that goes into these, it's honestly the commitment alone that impresses me. Needs must when the devil drives.

[@JGCR59]

When you enter the village, some guy called to you in Pashto "looking to protect yourself, or deal some damage?"

[@josephgioielli]

They have and use CNC machines and manufacture a lot of poly weapons as well. They have a channel on YT, Khyber Armory.

[@gustavesoucy-breton6841]

oh my god! i saw this pistol on the wikipedia page and i wanted someone to review it! thank you!

[@jg5737]

In Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King", the main characters buy a large number of "Tin Henries" in the area around the Afghan border. Tin Henries were locally made copies of the Martini Henry rifle used by the British army. Before the locals made copies of western guns, they made the local Jezail rifles. Doctor Watson in the Sherlock Holmes series had been shot in the leg by a Jezail when he served in Afghanistan as a doctor in the British army. Now the local smiths in that area make knock-off AK 47s and many other well known guns.

[@CHMichael]

I'm surprised they don't use ghost gun technology these days.

[@Scourgething]

I wonder what would happen if you gave these guys modern machine tools and tasked them with producing an original design.

[@mjbranch2109]

I mean you’ll need injection moulding for the plastic bits, but guns really haven’t changed too much

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

They would probably build something a lot better than your average Hi-Point.

[@zxggwrt]

They’ve got some modern tools coming in from China for sure. I’ve seen them in other regional videos from Pakistan. The era of this pistol where it’s all hand done is passed.

[@hellothere1656]

They make an original design called the DSA trushot pistol but is made by an arms company in Pakistan and I dont think they make them in Dara.

[@philhawley1219]

I laughed at your comment on the misspelling of Birmingham. I own a Ugartechea Spanish 12 Bore shotgun imported to England by Parker Hale of Birmingham just around the corner from the old BSA works. On the top rib the name of the aforementioned city is stamped as" Birminghan" Spot the deliferate smelling mistale! And that was stamped on by a Brummie!

[@Salieri47]

The Khyber Pass history lesson is great. Notice I'm avoiding writing the town name, lol.

[@stevezio99]

I remember when Lee Enfield's where shipping into the US on a regular basis once in a while someone would buy one either on line or a gun show and it turned out to be a KP copy that found it's way into shipments of legit Enfields.

[@AtheistOrphan]

For those interested in ‘Khyber Pass’ gunsmiths, Michael Palin visited one in episode one of his ‘Himalaya’ series. Fascinating.

[@comiketiger]

So many interesting finds Ian. Fascinating histories. Thanks for sharing! God bless all here.

[@marvindebot3264]

Now there is a one-off that Fireplace Guy probably won't be interested in. Or, maybe he will, who knows?

[@con6lex]

He has a lot of Warlord pistols, so this would fit in. Unless he has one already.

[@JayKayKay7]

I remember reading somewhere that a British Armorer Sargeant had deserted to the area to stay with his true love and taught the locals how to make firearms.

[@bladesofseven]

I am a simple man, I see Ian analyzing a gun from the Khyber Pass, I am obligated to watch.