Wheellock Rifle

The octagonal barrel is rifled with eight grooves, blued, and decorated at both ends and the center with arabesques engraved, dotted and gilt; it is mounted with a copper front sight and tubular rear sight. On the breech are the stamped initials T R, possibly those of Thomas Ritter, a gunmaker recorded in Teschen during 1639–67.

The lock is typical for Teschinke rifles. Its main spring is mounted on the outside, which made it possibly to reduce the size of the lock plate and, consequently, of the butt. Instead of a conventional sear with a strong spring, this sear is provided with an arming button, which had to be pressed with the left thumb when the lock was spanned. The cock is chiseled and engraved with grotesque figures and scrolls. The lock plate is engraved with arabesques, and gilt. The bridles for cock spring, wheel, and main spring, as well as pan cover and release buttons are covered with brass mounts pierced and gilt.

The full stock is provided with a light strongly curved butt, which was pressed against the cheek. The recoil was partly absorbed by the gun due to its heavy barrel, and partly contained by the shooter's hands and arms (for a stronger grip, the trigger guard is shaped to acommodate the fingers). The stock is profusely inlaid with staghorn and mother-of-pearl carved and engraved with animals, grotesque masks, scrolls, and floral motifs in eastern European folk-art style. On the top of the butt, behind the barrel, is engraved a monogram H K, possibly the initials of Hans Kaluza, a Teschen stockmaker and decorated recorded during 1628–70.

The gunmakers of Teschen specialized in producing light rifles of small caliber intended for hunting small game and birds; their characteristic form and decoration are well represented by this specimen. The small-caliber rifles produced in Teschen were very popular in central Europe in the seventeenth century, being widely known as Teschinke, and even today in Germany BB guns are called Tesching.