To revdocdrew, pete m, ellenbr and other interested parties: There has been of late a renewed interest in the culture and history of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey, which was suppressed for many years and later simply avoided after Kemal Ataturk's creation of the Republic. Within the current climate, it may be possible to access old Ottoman records pertaining to the topic at hand, if someone can present me with any kind of detailed information indicating the likely repository. I am on a first name basis with the sole surviving adopted daughter of Ataturk, and am confident that she could and would use her good offices to gain access to official records that might not otherwise be available for public viewing. Regretably, my time is not as free as others, otherwise I would embark on a fishing expedition of my own.
skatr2,
I have given your kind offer more thought. OK, time for a real fishing expedition.
Are there any records of gunsmiths working in Greece, Hungary, Bosnia or Serbia that were producing sporting arms for the nobility? If so, who were they and when were they active? Especially interesting in any thing that dates prior to 1680.
This would give us names and dates to search the literature and museum collections.
Pete
