BALTIC Region Antique Small Bore .25 Caliber SNAPLOCK Birding Rifle 17th Century Successor to the Matchlock & Predecessor to the True Flintlock

Product Description

BALTIC Region Antique Small Bore .25 Caliber SNAPLOCK Birding Rifle

17^th Century Successor to the Matchlock & Predecessor to the True Flintlock

Here we present an antique Baltic Small Bore Snaplock Birding Rifle, made circa the early 17th Century. Birding rifles, as the name implies, were small caliber pieces meant for hunting birds and other small game. The snaplock is thought to have been invented around the early 16^th Century. Sweden has one in the Royal Armoury of Stockholm dating from approximately the 1550s and arsenal records mention snaplocks as early as 1547. It was a type of flint-lock firearm, in many ways a big improvement over matchlock technology at the time, and somewhat simpler and less expensive than the wheellocks that were invented around the same period. Compared to a matchlock, the snaplock could fire twice as many shots per minute due to requiring fewer steps to reload. Not requiring a match to be lit also made it easier to handle and more usable in a wider set of environments, such as in damp places. These were in relatively widespread use until about the mid-17^th Century, when true flintlocks became proven and desirable, but some locales, such as the region around the Baltic Sea kept making and using them, such as Russia, Sweden, Latvia, etc.

The overall condition is very good. Original finish and patina on the iron. The action is strong. The bore is in good condition. The stock has a repaired split that runs underneath from the front of the lock to the cheek rest on the left side diagonally. The repair is solid and the stock is stable; stock refinished. Small maker’s mark at the left of the breech of the barrel. A great example of a rare piece of Old World technology!

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 30-1/2 inches.

Caliber: .25 Snaplock

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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$3600
#247425