Barrel length 127 cm (50"), stock length 36 cm (14,2"), total length 1,78 m (70"), weight 11 kg, year of manufacture 1837, condition 3.
There is no commission on this lot, only the VAT of 20% will be added to the highest bid!
Heavy, round barrel with octagonal field/groove profile, front sight missing, flap sight 100-300 m (this one somewhat loose), pivot pin on clamp at rear of barrel, lockplate with maker and year, hinged chamber with piston, brass fittings, walnut stock with German cheek piece.
The wall rifles, which began to appear in the 18th century, were heavy, oversized rifles used to defend fortresses. They were usually mounted on the rampart, hence the name. However, a mount was often common with them. The purpose of these weapons was to be able to fight the attacking or besieging enemy at a distance at which he could not yet bring his own infantry weapons to action. Due to the large caliber with corresponding bullet weight, wall guns were also capable of engaging hard targets that could not be dealt with by normal infantry rifles. In this sense, wall rifles are the predecessors of today's "anti-material rifles". After the heavy and unwieldy weapons could hardly be loaded like conventional muzzle-loaders in action, most of them have the first breech-loading systems. In our piece, the propellant charge is loaded into the opened chamber, the bullet is seated in the barrel, and the chamber is closed. By sliding this forward, a reasonably gas-tight seal is created using a cone. Highly interesting collector's item!
The producer Malherbe comes from a Liege gunsmith dynasty mentioned since the end of the 18th century.

Category: Antique Weapons