Featured Help needed with rifle identification

Hello,

I am new member here. I wonder if someone could help me with getting information about this rifle.
Friend of mine inherited this rifle and we know little about it. Seems that it is back from 1849 and very rare copy. Very little can be found on the internet.
It is Jozef Schulhof rifle with unusual loading system.
So, if someone could help with question, it would be very much appreciated:
- Does anyone know what is exact model of this rifle?
- What is the caliber?
- Estimated price?

Thank you in advance

 

I would start with contacting a couple of the Gun Auction Houses.....they can be pretty helpful.....Three just to start with.....don't just take one appraisal......I can't help with your specific questions, but it looks to be kept in pristine condition...........!!

OH, and WELCOME, smarko!!!! Someone should be along to offer more insight, so keep checking back.....we have quite a varied and extensive group of knowledgeable collectors here!!!!

http://jamesdjulia.com/division/gun/

https://www.rockislandauction.com/

http://www.amoskeagauction.com/index.php

 

Welcome!

 

I found this and tried to enlarge it a bit, but I hope you have good reading eyes!!! Link also attached, but I think what I edited out is all there is about your rifle......the mentioned image I cut is the third column on the right...... and is just a description....



https://books.google.com/books?id=HVMwGk1g3awC&pg=PA5175&lpg=PA5175&dq=Schulhof+civil+war+rifle&source=bl&ots=opXyDWEeRO&sig=vggWY-yU_73biB8oM6lGBOmrKJw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiojdjAjJrTAhUn0YMKHaTuD304ChDoAQgfMAM#v=onepage&q=Schulhof civil war rifle&f=false

 

O.K......last item and I'm done....MUST get off computer!!!!!! Found this site as well.......good description on a bit of the gun's history!! The text on the left is identical and MUCH easier to read!!!!! And I think the publish date was 1887????

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66080391#

 

Is that a target rifle or a hunting one? The Germans and Austrians had all sorts of shooting clubs in the late 19th century.

 

Oh, so many answer. First of all, I would like to thank you all for helping us with an answers!!!
So, my friend inherited this rifle from his father in law. His father in law found this rifle on attic of very old, German house which was tear down. I am from Serbia and this is of course, Balcan region where many armies came across and many wars were fought. Also, Vojvodina (part of Serbia) was part of Austro-Hungarian empire before WW1. Part of the Vojvodina was inhabited with German population, most of them expelled after WW2 as retribution for atrocities German and Austro Hungarian army committed during WW1 and WW2. Part of the culture here was that every house has a gun, so this was probably leftover from that time, just nobody bothered to check that old attic hidden places till someone tear that house down.
About the gun and the year, sorry for maybe false information. We suspected that it may be from 1849 (we concluded that this is definitely not modern rifle - this is how much we knew), because of the number of 49 on it.
Again, thank you very much, I will listen to your advises and try to investigate more. Frankly, it is exciting to find such piece and than connect the dots with it

All the best

 

Thank you Aquitaine for these interesting information I was able to read some, now I will check more on the link you posted

 

That's a beautiful example of the independent armorer's craft in Europe during the 1800's. There were countless attempts to develop a repeating rifle that didn't take 30-45 seconds to reload, this was one of them. It's a shame its not here in the states as a lot of collectors would want it.

 

Rare rifle certainly, but whatever removed the patina from the markings on the receiver cut the value significantly; don't ever "clean" an antique unless you are an expert in that field.

 

I know I've said this before, but after watching the original ARS from the UK and then visiting antique malls on a visit, it seems our European friends prefer their antiques 'cleaned up' and looking spiffy. I read one of the Keno brothers books on antique furniture and they bemoaned the fact that they found a very rare pier table in France, had it shipped home to NY and found it had been severely refinished before it was sent because the auction house over there wouldn't think of sending something that was less than pristine. So, maybe in smirk's part of the world, refinishing isn't going to hurt the value.

 

That said, the price is going to vary considerably depending on where the owner plans to sell it.

 

Price would also depend on legal factors. I have no idea about Serbian gun laws, but a lot could depend on what round it is chanbered for. Assuming it was an obsolete case and calibre, in the UK you'd not need a fire arms certificate to buy it, if the ammo is still available then only FAC holders would be in the much smaller market.

In some places anything that needs fixed ammo, even if it as obscure as 6.5mm pinfire, would be regulated and restricted. In other places items are ok to hold if there is effectively no ammunition for them. Auctioneers playing it safe and ignorant police can be a real pain for collectors.

 

Here, legally if it was made before 1898 it's not a gun any more. As long as you can prove it's that old, you're good to go and don't need all the permits.