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Wheel locks are amongst the earliest and most ingenious methods of ignition system in antique firearms, coming to prominence in the early 16th cen-
tury until the middle 17th century. The main centre of production was Germany, although they were popular in Italy and France.
The lock employs a serrated metal disc which is linked by a chain to a powerful V spring. The wheel has a protruding steel shank which, when turned,
compresses the main spring.
Wheel locks could be made in any size, however the skill and craftsmanship required made them very expensive weapons. As a consequence, they are
usually highly decorative and elaborate as a way of displaying their owner’s great wealth and taste, as is evidenced in the example above.
This hunting rifle has a rifled barrel. The grooves visible at the muzzle extend down the length of the barrel and have a twist as they extend. This spins
the ball gyroscopically, stabilising the projectile and producing a more accurate shot.
Rifling was invented sixty-four years before this rifle was made in 1520 by a Nuremberg armourer by the name of August Kotter. The system, however,
was expensive and was not widely in use until the mid-19th century and the advent of the industrial age.