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Fire arms and accessories

With around 13,400 items, the collection of small arms and accessories is the most comprehensive in the armoury. It includes 3,867 guns and 4,259 pistols, all of which have a variety of lock systems.

Collection

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It includes 3,867 guns and 4,259 pistols, all of which have a variety of lock systems. In addition, there are various types of accessories:containers for powder and gunpowder, cartridge boxes, holsters, clamps, bullet moulds, musket forks and bayonets.

Most of the small arms date back to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and were intended for use in military operations. The weapons were mainly acquired in Augsburg, Nürnberg, Suhl, Wiener Neustadt, Ferlach and from workshops in Styria.

A smaller part of the small arms collection was used for hunting as well as sport, and was once owned by members of the aristocracy.

Ferlach wheel-lock pistol, around 1640

In the mid-16th century, gunsmiths from the Netherlands settled in Ferlach, Carinthia, using their extensive technical knowledge to establish a prominent centre of weapon production. In 1638 Hans Schmidt, a talented craftsman and clever businessman, assumed a key position. So the great age of the Ferlach gunsmiths began.

Harquebuses and muskets

The harquebus is a firearm that is about a metre long and which could be used by the cavalry due to its weight and length. The use of the musket by foot soldiers fell into decline at the end of the 16th century.

Wheel-lock pistols and holsters

Wheel-lock pistols belonged to the equipment of both the heavy cavalry and the harquebusiers. These pistols were kept in leather holsters that were attached to the horses’saddles.

Priming flasks, powder horns, powder flasks and cartridge boxes

Powder horns and powder flasks were generally carried in the 17th century together with priming powder flasks. The latter were used for storing priming powder; this was used with muzzleloaders for igniting the black powder. 

Bayonets

At the same time that robust flintlock rifles were being adopted throughout Europe, the bayonet was also introduced. 

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