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Eastern Eurpean BP gun(s) availability?

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Salty_Possum

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So here is an unusual question, how hard is it to get a repro of a BP musket or rifle that was used by eastern european armies? I can't seem to find any. Btw by "eastern european" I mean countries like Russia, Poland, Hungary, Austria, etc. I don't know to much about that part of the world, but I was looking to see if anyone knew of repros from there.
 
Have you looked at Pedersoli's website? I've seen some copies of European military long arms there, presumably for European reenactors. Might try one of their forums, too.
 
Salty Possum said:
So here is an unusual question, how hard is it to get a repro of a BP musket or rifle that was used by eastern european armies? I can't seem to find any. Btw by "eastern european" I mean countries like Russia, Poland, Hungary, Austria, etc. I don't know to much about that part of the world, but I was looking to see if anyone knew of repros from there.

Many if not most of the countries you name did not actually exist as independent entities during the muzzleloading era, but were part of something else. Poland, for instance, did not exist until 1918, prior to that, since around 1795.

All military firearms would have been Russian-made - Tula, perhaps? St Petersburg?

There are, AFAIK, no replicas of such a gun.

Hungary?

Well, following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Medieval Hungary collapsed and succumbed to 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541”“1699). Hungary eventually came under Habsburg rule, and later formed a significant part of the Austro”“Hungarian Empire (1867”“1918).

So the miltary guns there would have been the breech-loading Werndl and whatever predecessor muzzle-loader that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was using. Again, no replicas exist, TMK.

Remember that these places were basically semi-feudal non-egalitarian states ruled by Emperors, and the average joe would not have had any kind of firearm, just in case...

I know that The Rifle Shoppe has/had kits for Danish and Swedish muzzle-loading arms of the military kind, but as for the rest, I think that you are on your own.

tac
 
Austrohungarian muskets and pistols were imported for the wbts.

Look up Pottsdam muskets and Lorenz pistols.

Originals are still somewhat reasonable
 
The one that Pedersoli calls their Württembergischen looks nice. But hey, most of their stuff keeps me drooling enough that there'd never be a worry about patch lube.
 
zimmerstutzen said:
Austrohungarian muskets and pistols were imported for the wbts.

Look up Pottsdam muskets and Lorenz pistols.

Originals are still somewhat reasonable

Respectfully, Sir, neither the Potsdam or the Lorenz firearm are really EAST European in the general sense of the term. Potsdam still is in Eastern Germany - at that time Prussia, and the Lorenz and its predecessor, the Augustin, were both Austrian. Austria is not classed as Eastern Europe.

Hungary, Poland and the present day dual Czech nations [formerly Czechoslovakia and before that, Bohemia], Slovenia, the Balkans [and their present day multiple names], Bulgaria, Rumania and Albania, are classed as Eastern Europe.

The AHE encompassed most of it that was not Russian or Ottoman, so until somebody makes a Tula musket replica, the Lorenz/Postdam/Wuerttemburgische trio are it.

tac
 
http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com/Russian_infantry.htm
This site discusses Russian muskets during the Napoleonic wars. It did mention that, like the Confederacy, they used foreign guns, so a west European musket might stand in for you until someone makes an eastern copy. From what I read, the two principle Russian military guns were robust but not as light nor handy as the French's (their opinion). Might be why there are currently no reproductions. Tula and the other main arsenal appears to have had high production numbers. Maybe originals are still knocking about in the countries mentioned, although I'm sure WWII scrap drives might have sent many an old gun to the foundry.
 
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