Ca. 1450: Early Match Lock Gun
Early version of a matchlock gunwith rotating Serpentine attachedto the side of the stock. Theupper end clamps the slowmatch, the lower serves as thetrigger. The counter weight onthe lower lever returns thehammer to the vertical position.
Total length: 927 mmBarrel length: 562 mmCaliber: 18.2 mm
Private Collection
1514: Target Gun with Snap Tinder Lock
The tinder lock would suggestthat this weapon is a targetgun. The shape of the stock istypical of the area of Basel. Reconstruction of the stock isbased on an original owned bythe historical museum inBasel, Switzerland.
Total length: 980 mmBarrel length: 505 mmCaliber: 18 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1525: Early Wheel Lock Gun
External wheel lock with V-shaped main spring
Trumpet-shaped muzzle
German National Museum, Nürnberg
Ca. 1530: Three Barrel Match Lock Gun
Private Collection
Top barrel with touch hole andflash pan
Lower two barrels are connectedtogether with touch hole
One snaphance match lock oneach side of firearm
Four short barrels looking back-wards in the butt with separatetouch holes.
Ca. 1540: Match Lock Musket with Trigger Bar
Match lock with a trigger barsimilar to crossbow
Total length: 1563 mmBarrel length: 1189 mmCaliber: 21 mm
Heerestechnisches Museum Vienna
Ca. 1570: Wheel Lock Musket, Hallau, Switzerland
City Museum Hallau
Target rifle with internal wheellock
Set trigger for precise firing
Ca. 1570: Snaphance Musket
Early Spanish snaphance lock
Steel is in the safety position
Set trigger
Total length: 1520 mmBarrel length: 1170 mmCaliber: 18 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1580: Wheel Lock Rifle, Salzburg
Rifle supposedly owned by theBishop Wolf Dietrich vonRaitenau, Salzburg
Barrel of the gun maker GeorgZellner, Zell
Stock with staghorn inlay
Total length: 1580 mmBarrel length: 880 mmCaliber: 18 mm
Bavarian National Museum, Munich
Ca. 1590: Military Wheel Lock Musket
Private Collection
But similar to Dutch butt
Total length: 1605 mmBarrel length: 1208 mmCaliber: 18 mm
Ca. 1600: Wheel Lock Target Gun, Hallau
The butt has a larger thumbnotch for better handling
City Museum Hallau, Switzerland
Ca. 1620: Wheel Lock Carbine, Franc
Private Collection
Wheel lock with engravings
Fishtail butt
Total length: 1055 mmBarrel length: 705 mmCaliber: 18 mm
Um 1630: Baroque-Hunting Rifle with Snaphance Lock
Rifled octagonal Barrel
Nürnberg snaphance lock
Total length: 1360 mmBarrel length: 926 mmCaliber: 25 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1720: Rifle with Roman Snaphance Lock
Southern Italy
Main spring outside of lock,pressing on cam in front of thecock
Total length: 1280 mmBarrel length: 890 mmCaliber: 15 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1720: Flint Lock Carbine, Zürich
The barrel originates from thegun maker Hans Heinrich Göetz, Zürich, ca. 1590.
In 1729 the armory of Zürichreused the barrel for this flintlock carbine
Total length: 1150 mmBarrel length: 820 mmCaliber: 16.4 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1730: Rifle with Covered Flin Lock
Beautifully engraved gold platedlock plate is covering the lockand battery
Total length: 1300 mmBarrel length: 920 mmCaliber: 16.4 mm
Private Collection
1737: Flint lock Rifle, Muoser, Bürglen
Private Collection
Privately owned rifle made by asmall gun maker in the village ofBürglen in the Swiss Alps
Total length: 1340 mmBarrel length: 848 mmCaliber: 18 mm
1738: Breech loader Flint Lock Rifle
Firearm with drop barrel andFrench flint lock
Bore of the barrel has a squarecross section
Total length: 1210 mmBarrel length: 800 mmCaliber: 15 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1740: Flint Lock Blunderbuss with Damascus Barrel
The Blunderbuss has an edgedribbon Damascus barrel. It has anoctagonal back part, cylindricalmiddle and an oval funnel shapedmuzzle.The weapon has a French flintlock, delicate carvings on thestock and masterful engravingson the brass fittings.
Total length: 960 mmBarrel length: 587 mmCaliber: 16 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1780: Continer Air Gun, Austria
Magazine-Air Gun M1780, Giradoni-Contriner was usedduring a short period by thesharpshooter of Habsburg
Three detachable air reservoirbelong to the rifle
Total length: 1225 mmBarrel length: 832 mmCaliber: 12 mm
12 Rifling
Private Collection
Ca. 1780: Rifle with Snaphance “à la Florentina”
Elaborately decorated firearmwith a snaphance lock of Italianorigin
Total length: 1205 mmBarrel length: 800 mmCaliber: 12 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1810: Forsyth Percussion Rifle
Based on the discovery ofmercury fulminate by CharlesEdward Howard of England in1796, Pastor Alexander Forsythdeveloped and patented thisrevolutionary lock mechanism
This ignition system representsthe beginning of the percussionprinciple
Total length: 1120 Barrel length: 834 mmCaliber: 17 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1830/1780: Percussions Rifle, transformed
Most flint locks have beentransformed into a percussionlock after this new ignitionsystem turned out to be a mucheasier to handle and much morereliable system
Total length: 1300 mmBarrel length: 925 mmCaliber: 18.8 mm
28 Rifling
Private Collection
Ca. 1830: Kentucky Air Gun
Tohus Museum, Copenhagen
The air rifle M1780 has the airreservoir underneath the stock
Three detachable air reservoirsbelong to the rifle
Total length: 1200 mmBarrel length: 810 mmCaliber: 12 mm
8 Rifling
1841/1863 Dreyse Needle Rifle
Sometime around 1832, thePrussian, Johann NikolausDreyse, developed and patenteda needle ignition System. ThisIgnition system is based on apaper cartridge which ispenetrated with a long needle. This brings a pellet primer ofmercury fulminate betweenblock powder and base of thelead projectile to an explosion.
Total length: 1365 mmBarrel length: 1035 mmCaliber: 15.5 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1850: Percussions-Tromblon
The Spanish maritime tromblonhas Miquelet percussion lockmade by Fernando Arrate,Eilbar.
Officers Firearm to be usedagainst pirates
Total length: 575 mmBarrel length: 260 mmCaliber: 18 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1850: Lefaucheux Double Shotgun
In the year 1835, the Parisiangunsmith Casimir Lefaucheux,received the patent for a shotpaper cartridge with metal baseand a side-ways protruding firingpin. The pin fire cartridges wereused in large numbers for brakeopen shotguns and revolvers
Total length: 1153 mmBarrel length: 742 mmCaliber: 17.5 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1856: Ignition Tape Carbine, England
Enfield Pattern Room
2000 Greene Carbine have beendelivered to the Ministry ofDefense, England, in 1855. Theignition tape was patented byEdward Maynard, USA.This ignition tape lock was usedwith little success
Total length: 857 mmBarrel length: 590 mmCaliber: .55 “
Ca 1860: Walking Stick with Percussion Ignition
Firearms were often taken alongon walks or while traveling. Inmost cases, the owner wished tohave the means for self defensewhile promenading.Apparently, there were dubiousfigures around who had quite evilintentions.This was most likely the reasonfirearms and edged weaponswere manufactured.
Total length: 965 mmBarrel length: 787 mmCaliber: 12 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1867: Milbank-Amsler, Switzerland
To increase the firing powerwithin a short time many muzzleloaders were transformed tobreech loaders
Applying the Milbank-AmslerIgnition System, the Swisspattern M1842/59 was trans-formed to the breech loaderM1867
Total length: 1470 mmBarrel length: 1080 mmCaliber: 18 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1870: Vetterli Repeating Rifle, Switzerland
Parallel to the conversion frommuzzle loaders to breech loaders,the development and introduc-tion of repeating rifles was givenhigh priority. As the first armyin Europe, Switzerland introdu-ced a repeating rifle with atubular magazine under thebarrel
Total length: 1300 mmBarrel length: 842 mmCaliber: 10.5 mm
4 Rifling
Private Collection
Ca. 1870: Werndl Carbine, Austria
In 1867, the Austrian Armyconverted muzzle loaders tobreech loaders by installingWerndl locks. Instead of aswiveling block, this lock has anapproximate 90 degree rotatingcylinder with an axis parallel tothe barrel. The cylinder has agroove on one side, that allowsthe cartridge to slide into thechamber.
Total length: 1280 mmBarrel length: 843 mmCaliber: 11 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1889: Repeater with Straight Pull Bolt Action
The repeater rifle by RudolfSchmidt has a straight pull boltaction with an integrated turnmechanism. Contrary to mostrepeaters from those days, theshooter did not have to make aturning movement to open ordose the action.
Total length: 1300 mmBarrel length: 780 mmCaliber: 7.5 mm
Private Collection
Ca. 1890: Parlor Rifle
This rifle has the similar size andweight of a regular target rifle,and similarly handles like one. For target practice in the parlor,the front section of the barrel isdesigned to hold a separate loa-ding gate to use 4 mm Flobertcartridges. The loading gate isopened by rotating down thetrigger guard.
Total length: 1260 mmBarrel length: 830/140 mmCaliber: 4 mm
Private Collection