Vedelspang rifle
The Vedelspangbüchse ( Danish : Vedelspangbøssen ) is the oldest surviving handgun in Denmark .
The weapon, manufactured around 1400, was found in 1859 during excavations in Wedelspang Castle (Danish: Vedelspang ) near Selk, which was then in South Schleswig , Denmark , and was handed over to the Royal Armory in Copenhagen on March 15, 1860 .
The rifle is a wrought iron hand tube with a hook. To fire, it was placed over a wall parapet, with the hook on the outside of the wall and thus absorbing the recoil . The construction shows that the weapon was primarily intended to defend fortifications.
The caliber of the Vedelspang rifle is about 18 mm directly at the chamber and 28 mm at the muzzle . The barrel is approx. 270 mm long, the total length of the rifle is 810 mm and its weight is 2.44 kg . It was ignited by a fuse and had an estimated range of 75 meters.
The Vedelspang rifle is now in the Royal Danish Armory Museum and is the museum's oldest handgun.
Web links
Printed sources
- Tøjhusmuseet - Billed catalog for permanent udstilling = The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum . Tøjhusmuseet, Copenhagen 1979.