Type Rifled musket Wars Austro-Prussian War | In service 1861/2-1867/68 Designed 1856 | |
Place of origin Württemberg, Baden, Hesse Used by Württemberg, Baden and Hesse | ||
The Vereinsgewehr 1857 (union rifle, mod. 1857) was the commonly developed rifle of Baden, Hesse and Württemberg for their troops of the 8th Bundesarmee corps as a successor of the Musket Model 1777 corrigé. The rifle for the line infantry was, with minor modifications in the sights, adopted by all three states; pistols and carbines for the cavalry and sharpshooter rifles for the Jäger were, however, developed by each state on its own.
Contents
The rifle has a percussion lock construction of Swiss model, i.e. there was no loading position of the hammer.
Hesse and Baden/Württemberg variants
Rifles from Hesse on the one hand and Baden and Württemberg on the other hand can be distinguished by their rear sights.
Württemberg and Baden union rifles and Jäger rifles use a sight with the scale below, from 200 yards (180 m) to 1,000 yards (910 m), constructed by 1st lieutenant Breithaupt.
Hesse instead used a quadrant sight with the scale above, max. 1,200 yards (1,100 m), after Darmstadt armoury colonel Müller.