Original Danish Norwegian M1774/1841/51 Pillar Breech Rifle Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. A series of long, large and black musket models were in use by the Danish-Norwegian military forced throughout most of the 1700’s. These long-guns were impressive. Brass butt plates with huge screws, large locks, brass ramrod pipes and magnificent trimmings.

Norway had tens of thousands of old Danish produced Kronborg muskets by 1814 – most of these were already at the point becoming obsolete. While Sweden started a huge production of “new and modern” flintlock long-guns in the early 1800’s, the Norwegian army kept the Danish muskets for years to come. As better technology came, these old long-guns were gradually converted and modernized into a variety of models. The muskets from between the M1746 and the M1807 were all fairly similar and most of them were converted to one of the following models.

Little work was needed to convert a flintlock to percussion which was done by removing the outer flintlock parts from the lock-plate, inserting a percussion bit on the barrel and a new hammer plus the dog catch. It was a very inexpensive exercise.

Converting from a musket to a pillar breech rifle involved a little more work. The musket to be converted had to be in excellent condition. The screw in the rear of the barrel was exchanged to one with a pillar, the barrel was rifled and new sights mounted. Still, very inexpensive compared to producing a rifle from scratch.

This fine example is a rifled musket with a 40.5″ barrel, a multi range flip back sight and all brass furniture. It retains a substantial original steel and brass heavy ram rod and the barrel is fitted to accept the Kyhl socket bayonet. Bore condition is excellent, and most likely this rifle was not used much post conversion. Clear lands and grooves, with a few spots of pitting from before the conversion. Pillar on the end plug is intact. In overall very good polished condition this is a very scarce and interesting infantry rifle from the 19th Century.

History of the Denmark Norway firearms connection:

Denmark basically ruled Norway until 1814 however having taken the side of Napoleon Bonaparte in the Napoleonic wars which came to a temporary close in 1813. In 1814 Denmark was forced to grant Norway independence in 1814. In 1815 Napoleon raised his head again and was finally beaten at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Had the French won at Waterloo who knows what Scandinavia would look like today.

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