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GERMANIC Antique WHEELLOCK Military MUSKET Continental Europe 30 Years War
Guns International #: 101517278 Seller's Inventory #: 191043
Category: Antique Rifles - 1500-1850 - Military Rifles - German
Seller's Information
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Seller: AncestryGunsLLC
Company: Ancestry Guns LLC
Member Since: 11/3/16
State: Missouri
Zip: 65203
Country: United States
Phone: (314) 707-7373
International Phone: 314-707-7373
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 1458
Total Number of Listings: 29932
Seller: FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: Credit Card, Certified Check, Money Order
Description:
GERMANIC Antique WHEELLOCK Military MUSKET Continental Europe 30 Years War
Fascinating European Weapon from the 16th / 17th Century
Here we present what is likely an antique Germanic Wheellock Rifle made circa the late 16th to early 17th century, in the German states. The wheellock rifle was developed in Europe in the late 15th or early 16th century, though exactly who developed it is unknown. Leonardo da Vinci produced an early sketch of a wheellock mechanism mounted on a rifle as part of a series of military design commissioned for the Duke of Milan somewhere around 1490. Another early depiction of the wheellock was drawn by Martin Loffelholz of Nuremberg, Germany in 1505, though it shows as being used as a tinder lighter rather than a rifle. A German gunsmith named Johann Kiefuss is often credited with inventing the wheellock in 1517, although there is little evidence of this and is believed to have originated from legend. In 1517, Emperor Maximillian I issued a decree outlawing the civilian use of such guns within the Holy Roman Empire. Some of the earliest surviving examples of these rifles using the wheellock mechanism were made in Italy, probably around the early 1520s. Due to the expense of wheellock weapons, the matchlock remained the standard type of ignition system until the invention of the flintlock. The wheellock was at its zenith during the Thirty Years War, which involved much of Continental Europe and beyond.
This piece features what would have been a full-length stock, which was shortened at some point. The lock is large with a flat face and flat bevels around the tail. The stock follows the lower contours of the lock for that pregnant look forward of the trigger guard. The butt stock is relatively narrow with a thick wrist and some unexpectedly graceful contours where the wrist meets the comb. The iron butt plate is marked “82”. The stock is marked “526” just above the lock in what looks to be a later inventory number for a museum or other collection. The left stock flat and the wrist show a very old repair, and, oddly, the comb of the stock is smattered with dozens of differently sized metal fragments. The barrel is round and over 41 inches long. The bore is smooth and .67 caliber. This is a fascinating piece of history that probably has a book full of stories it could tell.
The overall condition is good. The wheel has good spring tension. The bore is smooth, dark and dusty. A rare opportunity to own a firearm that is several hundred years old, and one that was a steppingstone in firearms technology.
Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.
Barrel is 41-1/4 inches.
Caliber: .67 Wheellock
Overall condition as seen in photos.
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ancestryguns
$5400
#191043
SOLD
Antique: Yes