Swiss M.1830 Scharfschützen Rifle

As some of my friends here on MDShooters already know, one of my main collecting goals currently is to have an example of each model of Swiss service rifle and pistol from the 1800's until the current time period. I'm well on my way there, but still have a ways to go. I added two more rifles I needed badly for my collection a couple days ago. The other I'll put in a different thread.

The first is what is usually called the M.1830 Percussion Scharfschützen Rifle. 16mm or roughly .63 Caliber. I can't find much information on these in English, but from what I've gathered, they were used by the best marksmen in Switzerland at the time. Sharpshooter's were required to provide their own rifles, so there are many different variations since a variety of gunsmiths made them.

This one was made by Gunsmith Bosshardt in Zurich. I'm currently trying to research him, but I'm having a little bit of trouble finding information. The barrel has Belgian proofmarks on it, so I think that part was made in Belgium, or at least proofed there. The Swiss contracted with a lot of Belgian gunmakers at the time for muskets. I believe some gunsmiths would re-use older barrels to make these, so the barrel could have been made years earlier. I also believe this one was converted from a Flintlock to Percussion Ignition. There aren't any other markings besides the number "40" stamped on a few parts. No military proofmarks that I can see, but that would be correct since the men had to supply their own rifles.

Mr. Bosshardt put a lot of care into making it, and whoever owned it over the past 180 years kept it in good shape. The metal has definitely been cleaned, but not over zealously. The stock has a couple stable cracks in it, probably from the wood shrinking/expanding over the years according to another collector who I showed it to at the MACA meeting on Friday. He told me it's not serious, and that I should leave them alone, which I'm inclined to do. Everything functions and the trigger pull is very crisp and soft. The bore is in excellent shape, as to be expected with Swiss firearms. I'm tempted to shoot it, but I still haven't decided if I'm going too. Chances are I'll end up trying it out sometime in the future though.

I'm sure you answered this in one of the 5000 lost threads but can I ask what started the Swiss obsession? I think it's funny everyone has their quirks for the most park for me it's revolvers and I know where it came from but just curious.

I know nothing about Swiss arms. That being said that is one meaty looking rifle. What does it weigh?

I do love the sculpted stock and butt plate as well.

I like that one.

A time when rifles were built with an artisan's touch.

The rear sight is reminiscent of the one on my 1871 Dutch-Beaumont bolt action rifle.

iH8DemLibz said:

I like that one.

A time when rifles were built with an artisan's touch.

The rear sight is reminiscent of the one on my 1871 Dutch-Beaumont bolt action rifle.

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I know less than zero about these things but I'm digging the trigger guard. That's a classy addition to a heafty rifle.

Good Lord have mercy. Even the design details have design details. The next time I go on about German engineering, remind me what the Swiss were doing in the 1830s.

Agree with the above. That is one nicely designed rifle. An artist made that!

mpdc4511 said:

I'm sure you answered this in one of the 5000 lost threads but can I ask what started the Swiss obsession? I think it's funny everyone has their quirks for the most park for me it's revolvers and I know where it came from but just curious.

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Thanks guys! It’s pretty hefty but feels quite balanced when you pick it up and shoulder it. I certainly wouldn’t be able to hold it up for long though. I put it on my bathroom scale and it weighs 14.2 pounds!

As to why I like to collect Swiss stuff... I guess it’s odd since I don’t have any Swiss ancestry, but Swiss culture has always interested me, and I like the various firearm designs that they adopted over the years. Originally, I started with a K31, then I got a K11, decided I needed to round it out with the 96/11, M1911 and M1889. I never really thought I wanted to get into Muskets, but I found a M1817/42 Musket for cheap and bought it, and after that, I figured what the hell, I might as well try to get them all now!

With these two, I reckon I’m about almost halfway to my goal. I have several of the harder to find variants out of the way but there are some mega expensive ones (i.e. ZFK.55, K31/42 Sniper rifles), ones not available to me in MD (SIG 550/551), or others that I won’t ever have a chance to get (original M1900/1905 Cavalry Carbines).

Is that a very odd bayonet lug, or a very odd false muzzle attachment of some odd sort?

Whatever that odd thing is, it looks... odd.

What is the maximum range on the sight?

Beautiful rifle.

MilsurpDan said:

Thanks guys! It’s pretty hefty but feels quite balanced when you pick it up and shoulder it. I certainly wouldn’t be able to hold it up for long though. I put it on my bathroom scale and it weighs 14.2 pounds!

As to why I like to collect Swiss stuff... I guess it’s odd since I don’t have any Swiss ancestry, but Swiss culture has always interested me, and I like the various firearm designs that they adopted over the years. Originally, I started with a K31, then I got a K11, decided I needed to round it out with the 96/11, M1911 and M1889. I never really thought I wanted to get into Muskets, but I found a M1817/42 Musket for cheap and bought it, and after that, I figured what the hell, I might as well try to get them all now!

With these two, I reckon I’m about almost halfway to my goal. I have several of the harder to find variants out of the way but there are some mega expensive ones (i.e. ZFK.55, K31/42 Sniper rifles), ones not available to me in MD (SIG 550/551), or others that I won’t ever have a chance to get (original M1900/1905 Cavalry Carbines).

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Thanks, i was just kinda curious since the firearm collections here vary widely and it’s interesting to me! I hope you find the others at yard sale prices for your collection!

Dan, I like that a lot, reminds me of a German influenced Jaeger rifle, I would shoot it.

Threeband said:

Is that a very odd bayonet lug, or a very odd false muzzle attachment of some odd sort?

Whatever that odd thing is, it looks... odd.

What is the maximum range on the sight?

Beautiful rifle.

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Thanks! It’s a bayonet lug. If I remember right, it takes a weirdly shaped bayonet that slides into the lug and locks.

I’m not sure if the Swiss used a different measuring system besides metric back then, but it starts at 400 and goes all the way up to 3000! Can’t imagine it’d ever be able to launch a ball that far

I'm intrigued by the fore end or nose cap and the material or construction around it. It almost looks like filler has been used in the barrel routing that I have seen on other old weapons. If that happens to be the case would you be able to tell how it was made? Could it be ground or pulverized bone (horn) or could it be simply saw-dust and animal glue? It may just be solid wood but it looks like a different material from the rest. Just wondering how they did that.
Thanks.

Nice piece of firearms history there!

That's a nice one for sure, love the Swiss stuff, always well made and finished. Good catch!

Doco Overboard said:

I'm intrigued by the fore end or nose cap and the material or construction around it. It almost looks like filler has been used in the barrel routing that I have seen on other old weapons. If that happens to be the case would you be able to tell how it was made? Could it be ground or pulverized bone (horn) or could it be simply saw-dust and animal glue? It may just be solid wood but it looks like a different material from the rest. Just wondering how they did that.
Thanks.

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I might have to take it apart to get a better look, but the nose cap looks to be made out of some kind of horn or bone. I’m not sure exactly what kind of material the “filler” looking stuff is. I’ll probably post it over on Gunboards to see if one of the experts there can give me some information.

I’d really like to find out if the barrel was made around the 1830’s with the rest of the rifle, or if it’s from an earlier time period. I’ve seen a few other European Muskets that had their barrels cannibalized from earlier Flintlock and Wheel-lock gun’s.

That rifling looks like something from a wheellock!

MilsurpDan said:

I might have to take it apart to get a better look, but the nose cap looks to be made out of some kind of horn or bone. I’m not sure exactly what kind of material the “filler” looking stuff is. I’ll probably post it over on Gunboards to see if one of the experts there can give me some information.

I’d really like to find out if the barrel was made around the 1830’s with the rest of the rifle, or if it’s from an earlier time period. I’ve seen a few other European Muskets that had their barrels cannibalized from earlier Flintlock and Wheel-lock gun’s.

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I think whatever it is probably comes from the mixture that is crusted off the parts that have been hardened and placed in a vessel. And then with some additional material added. Like when the lock parts were heat treated. Maybe someone decided the refuse was good for something in the shop other than for waste. And it worked well for the task but no one recorded how it was done. Just a wag.
There should be a proof on the barrel somewhere, the laws are pretty strict. The rifling looks from the pictures like it has been cut straight without a twist or maybe has a gain twist. That may mean it's older and was re- purposed for when your musket was built, or was just done at another time to improve performance.
Bet the lock internals are like you guessed it, a well made watch.