Werndl M1873
Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (Steyr) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1873
Also known as: Infanteriegewehr M1873, Werndl Second Model, M73 Werndl
Overview
The Werndl M1873 is a single-shot, breech-loading black-powder infantry rifle, the second-model Werndl adopted by the Austro-Hungarian army as an improvement on the 1867 Werndl-Holub. It retains Josef Werndl's distinctive rotating drum ('crane') breechblock but moves the hammer inside the stock's wrist on a back-action lock, flattens the receiver sides to strengthen the notoriously weak wrist, and turns the breech lever upward when closed. Chambered for the straight-cased 11x42mmR M.67 cartridge, it served as Austria-Hungary's standard rifle until the 1877 rechambering program produced the M1873/77.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4300 g (151.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1280 mm (50.39") |
| Barrel Length | 843 mm (33.19") |
| Action Type | Rolling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 440 m/s (1444 fps) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1050 m (1148 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 11x42mmR Werndl · primary — also known as 11mm Werndl M1867, 11.15x42R, Gewehr-Patrone M.67
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breechloader
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Hammer
- Features: Rotating Drum Breechblock, Internal Hammer, Back Action Lock Inside Wrist, Upward Turning Breech Lever, Walnut Full Stock, Ramp And Leaf Sight, Socket Bayonet Lug
Variants
- Werndl M1873/77 Extra-Korps-Gewehr - Short Rifle
- Werndl M1873 Cavalry Carbine - Carbine
Service history
Operators
- Austro-Hungarian Army · adopted 1873 · as Infanteriegewehr M1873
Conflicts
- Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1878)
Production
Production years: 1873-1877
Second-model Werndl production run before the 1877 conversion program; many were subsequently rebuilt as M1873/77 rather than scrapped
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Josef Werndl
Discontinued: 1877
Notes
The M1873 addressed the M1867's tendency to crack at the stock wrist by merging the lock and receiver and enclosing the hammer. Most surviving examples were later rechambered in 1877 to the bottlenecked 11x58mmR M.77 cartridge and marked '/77'. Rear sight graduated to about 1,400 paces.
Background
The Werndl rifles turned Josef Werndl's Steyr works into one of Europe's largest arms factories; he powered the expanding plant with early hydroelectric generators, and in 1884 lit the town of Steyr with electricity ahead of most European cities.