The Emir’s New Rifles: A History of the Kabul Arsenal, 1885 – 1925 charts the course of Afghanistan’s first and only modern small arms production factory. The reader will be transported back to the days of high adventure in this fascinating examination of key personalities, gun production, and firearms characteristics, framed against the backdrop of impressive feats of engineering accomplished in an austere and challenging environment. The book follows the Kārkhānah-i Bukhārī (‘steam workshop’) from its inception, through its high-points, to its gradual decline and demise after the First World War.

It covers the following Afghan-made arms in detail:

• Pre-Kabul Arsenal regional designs, including the famous Afghan ‘jezzail’

• Pre-Kabul Arsenal percussion muskets, including the ‘Brown Bess’

• Snider-Enfield rifles

• Seven distinct types of Martini-Henry and Martini-Enfield rifles and variants

• Various proto-machine guns and cannon produced or finished at the Arsenal

Photography of the highest standard accompanies the text, allowing readers to pick out minute detail in unprecedented quality. Headstamp’s access to the world’s best collections of these rifles has been supplemented by field research in Afghanistan and archival research around the world, making this the definitive book on the topic. In recent years, firearms produced at the Kabul Arsenal–often mistakenly identified as Pakistani ‘Khyber’ copies–have proven popular mementos for ISAF troops and others deployed to Afghanistan. The Emir’s New Rifles offers collectors, curators, researchers, and enthusiasts an unprecedented understanding of this little-known factory and its unique firearms.