| Vereinsgewehr 1857 | |
|---|---|
|
File:Prussian Musket.jpg Vereinsgewehr 1857 | |
| Type | Rifled musket |
| Place of origin |
 Kingdom of Württemberg,  Grand Duchy of Baden,  Hesse |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1861/2-1867/68 |
| Used by | Württemberg, Baden and Hesse |
| Wars | Austro-Prussian War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1856 |
| Manufacturer | Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik and others in Suhl |
| Produced | 1857–1866 |
| No. built | >70,000 (30,000 Württemberg; Baden and Hesse @ 20,000) |
| Variants | Hesse variant |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.6 kilograms (10 lb) |
| Length | 1.39 metres (55 in) |
| Barrel length | 100 centimetres (39 in) |
|
| |
| Cartridge | .547 inches (13.9 mm) Minié ball |
| Caliber | .54 |
| Action | Caplock |
| Effective firing range | 1,000 yards (910 m) (Baden and Württemberg sights), 1,200 yards (1,100 m) (Hesse sights) |
| Feed system | Muzzle-loaded |
The Vereinsgewehr 1857 (union rifle, mod. 1857) was the commonly developed rifle of Baden, Hesse and Württemberg for their troups of the 8th Bundesarmee corps as a successor of the Musket Model 1777 corrigé. The rifle for the line infantry was, with minor modifications in the sights, adopted by all three states; pistols and carbines for the cavalry and sharpshooter rifles for the Jäger were, however, developed by each state on its own.
The rifle has a percussion lock construction of Swiss model, i.e. there was no loading position of the hammer.
Hesse and Baden/Württemberg variants[]
Rifles from Hesse on the one hand and Baden and Württemberg on the other hand can be distinguished by their rear sights.
Württemberg and Baden union rifles and Jäger rifles use a sight with the scale below, from 200 yards (180 m) to 1,000 yards (910 m), constructed by 1st lieutenant Breithaupt.
Hesse instead used a quadrant sight with the scale above, max. 1,200 yards (1,100 m), after Darmstadt armoury colonel Müller.
Literature[]
- Hans-Dieter Götz: Militärgewehre und Pistolen der deutschen Staaten 1800-1870, 2nd edition, Stuttgart, 1996, ISBN 3-87943-533-2 (German)
External links[]
- Vereinsgewehr-replica by Davide Pedersoli
The original article can be found at Vereinsgewehr 1857 and the edit history here.