A German 25 Bore Wheellock Sporting Rifle. 43 ½” overall, 31 ½”, octagonal barrel slightly swamped at the muzzle & rifled with twelve grooves, the breech stamped three times with a standing Halberdier (Neue Støckel 548), brass fore sight, folding leaf back sight, flat lock with wheel with pierced & chiselled wheel bracket, ring pierced cock, sliding pan cover. Moulded figured fruit wood full stock inset with carved stag horn roundels & panels, the cheek piece inlayed with stag horn panels & inlaid with acorns, sliding patch box cover veneered with white horn at each end, indented iron trigger guard, horn side nail washers, horn ramrod pipes & fore end cap with original ramrod with horn tip ensuite, set trigger. Stock stamped twice with the family armoury mark of two leaping salmon. Probably made in the Baltic region.
Circa 1656 to 1667. The Schloss Dyck was remodelled at this time by Count Ernst Salentin zu Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck, the armoury was created and this rifle remained there until 1982.
In very fine condition, dated note in the patch box noting servicing in 1898 and 1977 when it was serviced by the Bayerishes Armeemuseum in Munich. Rare opportunity to own a rifle that has only changed hands once in 350 years.
Provenance: ‘The Armoury of their Serene Highnesses the Princes zu Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck’ lot 138 , sold at Christies 15th April 1992. The catalogue for this sale and the
Max von Ehrenthal Die Waffensammlung des Farsten Salm-Reifferscheidt zu Schloss Dyck, Leipzig, 1906, [Scholz Dyck armoury inventory) are included with this rife.