Original Item: One-of-a-Kind. Dating to approximately 1580-1590, this is a magnificent and unusually complete German combination wheellock and matchlock gun, representing one of the most technically sophisticated forms of firearm produced during the late Renaissance. Built with a substantial 40-inch octagonal barrel, a long 12-inch wheellock plate with domed wheel cover, and a richly decorated fruitwood stock inlaid with engraved staghorn, this remarkable arm combines mechanical ingenuity with the elaborate decorative tradition for which high grade German firearms of the late 16th century are renowned.

The gun measures approximately 52 inches overall and remains in wonderful condition for an arm more than four centuries old. Both the wheellock and matchlock mechanisms appear functional, and the gun retains its original ramrod with horn tip as well as the sliding cover to the patch box. The barrel is struck with a maker’s mark in the form of a lion within a shield, although the individual maker has not yet been identified.

Combination wheellock and matchlock firearms belong to a fascinating transitional period in European arms development. The matchlock was simple, comparatively inexpensive, and dependable, but it required the shooter to maintain a glowing length of slow match. That was inconvenient in bad weather, difficult around loose powder, and made it almost impossible to keep a firearm completely ready without warning.

The wheellock solved many of those problems. Instead of burning match, a spring driven serrated steel wheel rotated against a piece of pyrite, producing sparks in much the same way that a modern cigarette lighter operates. Once wound with a key, a wheellock could remain loaded and ready without an exposed flame, an enormous advantage for mounted troops, guards, hunters, and anyone who might need to fire without first lighting a match.

The disadvantage was complexity. Wheellocks were expensive to manufacture, required highly skilled craftsmen, and contained numerous small fitted parts that could wear, foul, or break. Contemporary matchlocks remained much easier to maintain. Combining both systems on the same firearm gave the owner the benefits of the wheellock while retaining a completely independent matchlock ignition system as an alternative.

That concept was not merely theoretical. A closely related German combination wheellock and matchlock gun dating to circa 1560 is preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued with steel, walnut, staghorn, and brass construction. The survival of such museum examples confirms that dual ignition arms formed a recognized, if uncommon and costly, category of sophisticated German firearms during the 16th century. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The level of decoration on this example also places it firmly within the German Renaissance gunmaking tradition.

The full fruitwood stock is extensively ornamented with hand engraved staghorn plaques, a decorative technique frequently encountered on better quality German wheellocks of the period. Surviving museum arms from Dresden, Nuremberg, Augsburg, and other German gunmaking centers show similarly elaborate stocks decorated with engraved staghorn figures, animals, foliage, masks, warriors, and heraldic devices. A dated 1589 wheellock gun made for the bodyguard of the Elector of Saxony, for example, has a stock inlaid with engraved staghorn representations of fantastic animals, human masks, a warrior, scrollwork, and floral ornament. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Of particular interest on this gun is the large engraved staghorn panel on the left cheek of the butt, depicting what appears to be a Turk or Ottoman figure wearing a turban and prominent mustache.

That image is especially evocative for a German firearm of the 1580s. During the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire was one of the great military and political powers confronting the Habsburg lands and the Holy Roman Empire. Warfare and frontier conflict between Habsburg and Ottoman forces had already shaped Central European culture for decades, and representations of Turks became familiar motifs in German and Austrian art, arms, prints, and decorative objects.

We cannot know whether the figure on this particular stock commemorates a specific conflict, victory, enemy, or merely reflects the visual vocabulary of the period. Nevertheless, its presence gives the firearm a striking connection to the broader military culture of late 16th century Central Europe.

The barrel itself is a formidable piece of work.

Measuring approximately 40 inches, it is heavy walled and octagonal for its full visible length. The breech bears the maker’s mark of a lion within a shield, which may ultimately allow a more precise attribution with further specialist research.

The lock plate measures approximately 12 inches and carries the substantial mechanism required for the wheellock system. The domed wheel cover is characteristic of the period and protects the rotating steel wheel at the heart of the ignition system.

The separate matchlock mechanism remains alongside the wheellock, preserving the gun’s unusual dual ignition arrangement.

German wheellock firearms of this period were expensive objects. The Metropolitan Museum notes that the complexity and expense of wheellock manufacture restricted them largely to cavalry arms, hunting guns, elite guard weapons, and other firearms intended for owners or institutions able to afford skilled gunmakers and specialized maintenance. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This was also a period when firearms could be major works of decorative art.

Making an arm such as this required several distinct skills. The barrel, lock, stock, metal furniture, and engraved inlays could involve separate specialist craftsmen. The result was an object intended not merely to fire but also to demonstrate the wealth, taste, military standing, and technical sophistication of its owner.

The gun remains in wonderful overall condition considering its extraordinary age.

There is evidence of old repairs and some minor worm damage to the stock, entirely understandable on a wooden firearm dating from the late 16th century. These age related imperfections do not detract from the gun’s remarkable completeness or appearance.

Most importantly, the wheellock and matchlock assemblies both appear to remain functional.

The gun also retains its original ramrod with horn tip, a very desirable survival, as well as the sliding patch box cover in the butt.

The combination of original mechanical components, extensive staghorn decoration, a marked barrel, surviving accessories, and more than 400 years of age makes this a truly extraordinary survivor.

For the advanced collector, this is far more than simply an early firearm. It represents the moment when European gunmakers were pushing the limits of mechanical ignition, decorative craftsmanship, and firearms design during the Renaissance. The combination wheellock and matchlock system, engraved Ottoman figure, extensive staghorn inlay, lion maker’s mark, original ramrod, sliding patch box, and exceptional state of preservation give this gun tremendous historical and visual presence.

A firearm of this quality would be entirely at home in a serious Renaissance arms, German wheellock, early firearms, European military history, Ottoman-Habsburg, or museum level antique arms collection.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: Circa 1580-1590
Caliber: .55 inches
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 40 inches
Overall Length: 52 inches
Action: Wheellock and Matchlock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

A wheellock, wheel-lock or wheel lock is a friction-wheel mechanism which creates a spark that causes a firearm to fire. It was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock and the first self-igniting firearm. Its name is from its rotating steel wheel to provide ignition. Developed in Europe around 1500, it was used alongside the matchlock and was later superseded by the snaplock (1540s), the snaphance (1560s) and the flintlock (c. 1610s).

The wheellock works by spinning a spring-loaded steel wheel against a piece of pyrite to generate intense sparks, which ignite gunpowder in a pan, which flashes through a small touchhole to ignite the main charge in the firearm's barrel. The pyrite is clamped in vise jaws on a spring-loaded arm (or 'dog'), which rests on the pan cover. When the trigger is pulled, the pan cover is opened, and the wheel is rotated, with the pyrite pressed into contact.

A close modern analogy of the wheellock mechanism is the operation of a lighter, where a toothed steel wheel is spun in contact with a piece of sparking material to ignite the liquid or gaseous fuel.

A wheellock firearm had the advantage that it can be instantly readied and fired even with one hand, in contrast to the then-common matchlock firearms, which must have a burning cord of slow match ready if the gun might be needed and demanded the operator's full attention and two hands to operate. On the other hand, wheellock mechanisms were complex to make, making them relatively costly.

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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

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Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.