Caspar Zelner Wheellock Rifle
Caspar Zelner (Vienna) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1700
Also known as: Casper Zelner Wheellock Rifle, Caspar Zellner Wheellock Rifle, Zelner Radschlossbüchse, Austrian 28 Bore Wheellock Sporting Rifle
Overview
The Caspar Zelner Wheellock Rifle is an early-18th-century muzzle-loading rifled sporting rifle built by Caspar Zelner, a master gunmaker who worked for the Habsburg court in Vienna under Emperors Joseph I and Charles VI. It is built around the wheellock ignition system, in which a serrated steel wheel wound against a strong V-mainspring with a spanner spins against a clamped piece of iron pyrite to shower sparks into the priming pan. Surviving examples show a swamped octagonal barrel of roughly .55 calibre (28 bore) rifled with seven spiral grooves, a folding leaf rear sight and a delicate double-set trigger for precision shooting. As a royal-grade hunting arm it is lavishly finished, the barrel and iron lock chiselled and decorated with gold inlay and engraved hunting scenes over a carved walnut full stock, making it a firearm of the Habsburg nobility rather than the common soldier.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3800 g (134.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1170 mm (46.06") |
| Barrel Length | 870 mm (34.25") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Wheellock |
| Trigger Type | Set Trigger |
| Muzzle Velocity | 350 m/s (1148 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 950 J (701 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 250 m (273 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 1 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .55 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as 28 bore, .550 round ball, 13.97mm ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Rifled Barrel, Swamped Octagonal Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Wheellock Mechanism, Spring Wound Wheel, Iron Pyrite Doghead, Spanner Wound, Priming Pan, Double Set Trigger, Leaf Rear Sight, Ramrod, Chiselled Lock, Gold Inlay, Ornate Engraving
Service history
Operators
- Habsburg Imperial court and Austrian nobility · adopted 1700
- Princely and noble hunters of the Holy Roman Empire
Production
Production years: c.1695-1730
Bespoke court and sporting arms produced individually; about 95 firearms are attributed to Caspar Zelner in the Habsburg Imperial collection.
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Caspar Zelner
Discontinued: 1730
Notes
Individually hand-built, so dimensions vary between surviving guns; figures follow a documented Austrian 28-bore (.550) Caspar Zelner wheellock sporting rifle with an 870 mm swamped octagonal barrel and roughly 1170 mm overall length. Related Vienna Zelner sporting rifles (Marcus Zelner, c.1730) run about 1120 mm overall at c. 3.2 kg. No period chronograph data exists; muzzle velocity and energy are estimates from comparable rifled black-powder sporting long arms. The family name is also spelled Zellner; Caspar was recognised as a Viennese master gunmaker in the 1690s and roughly 95 firearms attributed to him survive in the Habsburg Imperial Gun Room (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna).
Background
Caspar Zelner was a royal gunmaker in Vienna near the turn of the 18th century, serving Emperors Joseph I and Charles VI. His locks became canvases for chiselled and gold-inlaid hunting scenes featuring Diana, goddess of the hunt, and were prized by Habsburg nobility as much for their artistry as their accuracy.