Steyr · Rifle
Werndl M1867/77
Rolling block · 11x58mmR Werndl · introduced 1877
Also known as Werndl–Holub M1867/77, M67/77
About the Werndl M1867/77
The Werndl M1867/77 is a single-shot breech-loading black-powder infantry rifle, an 1877 upgrade of the original 1867 Werndl–Holub adopted by the Austro-Hungarian army. It retains the distinctive rotating drum ('crane') breechblock operated by a thumb lever, but is rechambered for the more powerful bottlenecked 11x58mmR Werndl M.77 cartridge. Sturdy and reliable, it served as Austria-Hungary's standard rifle until the Mannlicher repeaters arrived and remained in reserve use through the First World War.
The Werndl rifle's success made Josef Werndl's Steyr works into one of Europe's largest arms factories; to power his expanding plant he built one of the first hydroelectric installations in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, briefly making the town of Steyr among the best-lit in Europe.
Werndl M1867/77 specifications
General
- Type
- Rifle
- Action
- Rolling block
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer-fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Calibres
- 11x58mmR Werndl
- Magazine capacity
- 1 rounds
- Magazine
- Internal
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 844 mm (33.2 in)
- Overall length
- 1285 mm (50.6 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 4.40 kg (9.70 lb)
Barrel
- Rifling
- Right hand
- Grooves
- 6
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- blued
Performance
- Muzzle velocity (typical)
- 450 m/s (1476 fps)
- Muzzle energy (typical)
- 2430 J (1792 ft·lb)
- Effective range
- 500 m
History
- Introduced
- 1877
- Discontinued
- 1888
- Production status
- Out of production
- Country of origin
- AT
- Designer
- Josef Werndl
Features
- Rotating drum breechblock
- Back action lock
- Thumb operated breech lever
- Walnut full stock
- Socket bayonet lug
Safety
- Half cock hammer
The /77 designation marks rifles rechambered from the earlier straight-cased 11x42mmR M.67 cartridge to the bottlenecked 11x58mmR M.77 cartridge; a later second-model Werndl moved the external hammer inside the lockplate.
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