Wheellock Pistol
Historical Gunsmiths (generic) · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1517
Also known as: Wheel Lock Pistol, Radschloss, Puffer, Reiter pistol
Overview
The wheellock pistol was the first self-igniting handgun, appearing in the German states around 1517. Its lock used a serrated steel wheel wound against a powerful V-mainspring with a spanner key; pulling the trigger spun the wheel against a clamped piece of iron pyrite, showering sparks into the priming pan in a manner conceptually like a modern cigarette lighter. Because it needed no smoldering match cord and could be carried loaded and ready, it made a practical one-handed cavalry sidearm and equipped the German Reiter horsemen, who pioneered the caracole tactic of firing pistols by ranks. Costly and intricate to build, it remained largely a weapon of cavalry, nobility and assassins until simpler flintlocks displaced it.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1400 g (49.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 500 mm (19.69") |
| Barrel Length | 320 mm (12.60") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Wheellock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 250 m/s (820 fps) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 1 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- .50 Caliber Pistol Ball · primary — also known as 0.50 in, lead round ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Wheellock Mechanism, Spring Wound Wheel, Pyrite Doghead, Spanner Wound, Priming Pan, Ramrod
Variants
- Reiter Puffer (cavalry pistol) — Configuration
- Target/Hunting Wheellock — Configuration
Service history
Operators
- German Reiter cavalry · adopted 1530 · as Puffer
- European nobility and officers
Conflicts
- French Wars of Religion (1562-1598)
- Eighty Years' War (1568-1648)
- Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
Production
Production years: 1517-1700
Built by skilled individual gunsmiths, especially in Nuremberg and Augsburg; never mass-produced. No reliable totals.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Discontinued: 1700
Notes
Caliber, barrel and weight vary enormously between delicate small-bore court pistols (~.35 in) and heavier cavalry puffers; figures given are representative of a mid-size cavalry wheellock. Period velocity values are approximate.
Background
Because a loaded wheellock could be concealed and fired without a tell-tale glowing match, several 16th-century cities and the Holy Roman Emperor tried to ban them, fearing they were the perfect tool for the assassin and the highway robber.