These highly unusual firearms were captured by Australian forces after the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia. In 1999 and later, Australian forces were part of the UN forces used to keep order after Indonesia withdrew their military forces following 24 years of occupation.

Some of the unusual design features of the gun include the three welded, stacked barrels with the non-functional trigger guard and trigger. The ignition system is said to be designed for cigarettes, but any source of flame or a heated wire could work.

Using flash holes for open match ignition is usually a bad idea in multi-barreled guns, inviting multiple ignition or chain fire.

From the Australilan Infantry Museum:

7. 3 BARREL PIPE GUNS

Captured by 3RAR Battle Group soldiers, these crudely made pipe guns were made and used by the Pro-Indonesia Militia in East Timor. The gun could be loaded with anything from gravel, nuts and bolts, to nails and cut wire. The load was then tamped with coconut fibre and, using match heads as the propellant, it was then ignited by a cigarette at the breech end of the barrel.

Upon closer examination (or as much as the museum display case would allow), it appeared the barrels were cut with a tubing cutter. That can work with soft steel, but leaves a uniform burr on the inside of the tube.

The barrels looked to be made of water pipe of about .60 inch inside bore. On the pistol, the burr wasn’t removed. The three-barrel pistol may be in mint condition; it looked unused, never fired.

Captured East Timor three barrel cigarette long gun with Australian type F88 (AUG) for comparison.

Speculation about the stepped barrel lengths failed to produce an obvious reason. Ease of loading? An attempt to prevent chain fire? That seemed unlikely when the closely spaced touch-holes were considered.

I had read of cigarette ignition guns being used in the Philippines.

From ipfs.io:

Paltik is a Filipino term for a homemade revolver. It originated late in the Philippine-American War when guns and ammunition had become scarce. The most common form of the weapon was a gas pipe attached to a rifle stock. Wire was usually wrapped around the barrel to keep the pipe from expanding when the gun is fired. It was muzzle-loaded and fired a medium sized bullet or musket ball. A small hole at the breech end of the barrel accommodated a cigarette or match that was used to ignite the primer, making aiming difficult. This also gave rise to the nickname, “Cigarette Gun”.

With East Timor in the general vicinity of the Philippines, this method could have been culturally transmitted or developed independently.

You would think a person who had access to a modern welder that could attach those barrels could devise a more sophisticated method of ignition. Perhaps these unusual firearms were made as “trade” guns, with little expectation of reputation for efficacy reflecting on the maker. They would have been strictly black market items in East Timor.

 

©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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11 COMMENTS

  1. “…it looked unused, never fired.”

    Probably because nobody had a bench vice and fishing line handy. I damn sure wouldn’t test-fire it with by bare hands.

  2. The key feature of a such a firearm is the propellant. If primers and modern smokeless or black powder are not available, pulverized match heads would be the next best alternative given that they are almost universally available. Of course the down side to this arrangement is ignition — as is apparent in the article.

    Let’s be honest about two facts:
    (1) A modern firearm with modern cartridges is indispensable if someone sets out to steal your life, liberty, and/or property.
    (2) If you do not acquire a modern firearm and cartridges when “times are good”, there is a pretty high probability that you will not be able to acquire them when life gets ugly.

    Word to the wise: if you don’t already have modern firearms and ammunition, get them now “while the getting is good”. And make sure you have a couple spares for yourself and your progeny.

    • Sadly, sense like ^that^ is uncommon.

      This is what’s behind the impulse to ban all modern aspects of firearms — semi-auto, cartridges, magazines, grips, muzzle devices. These things make more effective arms, especially for personal defense.

      (No, the mugger by surprise isn’t going to carry an A R … because you can see it coming. And that’s a feature in self-defense.)

  4. Where there’s a will there’s a way. These make the Liberator pistol look high-tech!

  5. Side ways picture=not good.

    Just being constructive, not mean. Chasing picture around with tablet is annoying.

  6. I’m really curious about the trigger guard and fake trigger. Was the principle purpose of this gun intimidation with the ability to actually fire as only a last ditch option? As the OP notes, probably never fired. If, however, intimidation was the main goal, why not a coat of black paint?

  7. That’s some Raider weaponry from Fallout right there… but on most pipe pistols the trigger works.

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