Original Item: Only One Available. These are exceedingly hard to find in any condition, especially the long rifles! The German states were apparently very good with "recycling" their obsolete weapons, and did not have any "Colonial Empire" to speak of until after 1884, which is where obsolete weapons were sent by other Colonial powers. We have only had two examples of Dreyse needle fire guns before, and they were manufactured decades later. This is a great example manufactured in 1858 and re-arsenaled in 1866. Unlike many we see, was never duffle cut by a returning USGI, however it is missing the bolt face.

This is a nice example of what we believe is the original long Zündnadelgewehr Modell 1841 (M/41) Needle Fire Rifle, which is marked with an Imperial Eagle over SPANDAU on the left side of the receiver, for manufacture at the Prussian (and later Imperial) Spandau arsenal in Berlin, a storied production plant that would produce weapons up until 1919, including the famous MG08 Maxim. The right side of the receiver bears a manufacture date of 1858, with a re-arsenal date of 1866. It fits the pattern exactly except for the lovely carved cheek piece on the left side of the butt stock, possibly indicating issue to some type of sharpshooter unit.

The rifle is marked with serial number 1320 on the receiver, barrel, bolt, needle holder, and screws. We cannot find any pieces with different serial numbers. Under the sight it has the CROWN / FW Royal Cypher of Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who reigned 1840 to 1861. His son, King Wilhelm I, would go on to become the first Kaiser (Emperor) of the German Empire. There are also lots of other German proof and acceptance markings on the metal components of the rifle. There is a STAHL marking under the rear sight, indicating the barrel is made of steel. The butt plate tang is marked JR. 84. 11 C. 126., for the 84th Infantry Regiment, which existed in Germany as of 1866.

The metalwork on the rifle shows a lovely light gray color, faded from the original bright steel, along with some light peppering and oxidation across. It has a nice original German cleaning rod, however it does not appear to be the original cleaning rod for this rifle. The bolt can still be removed from the rifle, though the trigger must be pulled back VERY far. Inspection shows that the steel portion of the needle is quite a bit shorter than it should be, only reaching about the level of the front of the bolt. As previously stated, the bolt face is also absent on this rifle.

The stock is in good shape, still retaining both barrel bands, though the nose cap is missing. The barrel bands are very loose and move back and forth on the barrel, as the band springs are weak, and one is stuck in the down position. Both swing swivels are present and just show oxidation. Otherwise, the stock is in fantastic shape for its age with just the usual dents and scuffs from decades of storage wear. It has a great honey color, and doesn’t look to have been abused at all throughout its long life.

These are incredibly rare, and this is the first example that we have seen in quite some time. From looking around these are very seldom encountered! Ready to research and display!

Specifications (Rifle):-

Year of Manufacture: 1858 - updated 1866
Caliber: 15.4mm Dreyse
Cartridge Type: Needlefire Cartridge - Lead bullet in Paper Cartridge
Barrel Length: 35 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action Needle Fire
Feed System: Single Shot

In 1836 JOHANN NIKOLAUS VON DREYSE designed this breech loading cartridge system while the rest of the world were still using muzzleloaders. Indeed, the original prototypes were muzzle loaders themselves, but continued development led to the adoption of a bolt-action system. These were called Zündnadelgewehr, which translates roughly as "ignition needle rifle". After successful testing in 1840, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV ordered 60,000 of the new rifles. Dreyse set up the Dreyse-Zündnadel factory in Sömmerda with the help of state loans to ramp up production. These were adopted by the Prussian Military in 1841, and called the Leichtes Perkussionsgewehr Modell 1841 ("light percussion rifle Model 1841"), with the name chosen to hide the revolutionary nature of the new weapon.

Its first notable service was in the May uprisings in Dresden in 1849. Taking a 15.4mm paper cartridge ignited by a needle projecting from the front of the bolt, the barrel on these is heavily rifled to engage the cartridge. The system was so revolutionary that it was observed that in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, a Prussian Infantryman could fire five rounds from a prone position in the time it took an Austrian Infantryman to discharge one round from a standing position.

The Zündnadel saw service up through the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, when the Prussians were quickly victorious despite the French Chassepot Needle fire Rifle introduced in 1866, which was considered a far superior weapon. It was this action that brought the German Empire together in 1871, and by this time the Needle Rife rifles were in use by many other German states. The Dreyse Needle Fire was obsoleted in 1871 with the introduction of Paul Mauser's M1871 bolt action rifle which took what we would think of as conventional brass cased ammunition (10.4mm).

Franz von Dreyse had developed a self-cocking modification to the firing system, almost as a last ditch attempt to prolong the service life of the needle fire design. This allowed for a few more smaller contracts to be won by the factory, which would later go on to produce other standard arms for the German military and others. The father and son had started a gun factory in Sömmerda together, which Franz continued after his father passed in 1867, until his own passing in 1894.

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