Adolf Zeliska

Adolf Zeliska (born August 19, 1938 in Feldkirch ; died January 28, 2016 there ) was an Austrian inventor and marksman.

International fame gained through his development of revolvers in calibers that were previously only used in weapons for hunting big game . These weapons were manufactured by the company "Pfeifer Waffen" in Feldkirch, Austria . The revolvers are often mentioned in publications as "Pfeifer-Zeliska". From 1995 he developed the "Zeliska .458" revolver which, compared to other revolvers, has a high weight and high muzzle energy, as evidenced by the technical data caliber: .458 Winchester Magnum weight: 5200 g (unloaded), muzzle energy: 5797 joules . An entry for this revolver in the Guinness Book of Records was rejected in 1996 on the grounds that all reports about "wars and crimes" had been removed from the Guinness Book a few years earlier. Then Zeliska developed a .600 Nitro Express revolver which attracted media attention in early 2001 because it was considered one of the most powerful revolvers in the world. Because of the technical parameters with a muzzle energy of 6230 joules and a weight of 6.5 kg, this model is listed as exotic in the specialist literature. The reception on the Internet is widely spread; In particular, videos about Zeliska's weapons have been viewed millions of times. Zeliska's revolvers were only produced in small numbers. It was only when Smith & Wesson added the .500 S&W model to their program in February 2003 that industrially manufactured revolvers of comparable caliber became available in larger numbers.

literature

Hans Eicher: Der Eisenmann (biography of shooting sports), Deutsches Waffen-Journal , 2/2004, ( online at archive.org )
Martin Schober: Pfeifer-Zeliska-Revolver in .600 Nitro Express In: SWM (Schweizer Waffen Magazin) 4, 2001, pp. 8–9 ( online-pdf at archive.org )
Gordon L. Rottman: The Big Book of Gun Trivia , Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013, p. 291, ISBN 9781782009504
T Holloway: A Guide to Handgun Cartridges , Lulu.com, 2015, p. 24 ISBN 9781329007628

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Obituary notice from January 31, 2016 in the Vorarlberger Nachrichten (accessed on February 3, 2018)
↑ Production at Pfeifer in Feldkirch (official manufacturer website)
↑ Original document of the rejection of the entry in the Guinness Book of Records (accessed on February 3, 2018)
↑ Schober, SWM
↑ T. Holloway, p. 24
↑ Smith & Wesson Model 500 .50-Cal. Magnum Is The King Of Handguns , Popular Mechanics, September 16, 2003 (Retrieved February 2, 2018)

personal data
SURNAME	Zeliska, Adolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Austrian inventor and marksman
DATE OF BIRTH	August 19, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH	Feldkirch
DATE OF DEATH	January 28, 2016
Place of death	Feldkirch

[1] Obituary notice from January 31, 2016 in the Vorarlberger Nachrichten (accessed on February 3, 2018)

[2] Production at Pfeifer in Feldkirch (official manufacturer website)

[3] Original document of the rejection of the entry in the Guinness Book of Records (accessed on February 3, 2018)

[4] Schober, SWM

[5] T. Holloway, p. 24

[6] Smith & Wesson Model 500 .50-Cal. Magnum Is The King Of Handguns , Popular Mechanics, September 16, 2003 (Retrieved February 2, 2018)