Wänzl rifle
The Wänzl or Wänzel rifle was a breech-loading conversion of the Lorenz M1854 and M1862 rifles. After countering Prussian Zündnadelgewehr, The Austrian Empire adopted the Wänzl as a service rifle before replacing it with the Werndl-Holub M1867 rifle. The rifle was a lifting-block breechloader chambered for the 14×33mmRF cartridge.
Wänzl rifle

Jiří Sedláček · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Wänzl rifle
- Field
- single-shot rifle
- Period
- 1867
- Region
- Austrian Empire
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wikidata · Q11735457 · wikipedia · Wänzl rifle
In this article
Overview
Overview
A total of 70,000 Lorenz rifles were converted to the Wänzl system. Contract to make 80,000 unit.

Merki na puški tipa Wanzl
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Puške in karabinke tipa Wanzl
M11rtinb
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Wänzl rifle • Origin — Austrian Empire • Type — Breech-loading rifle • Is Ranged — yes • Service — 1867–1918 • Used By — Austrian Empire Qing Empire Kingdom of Dahomey • Wars — 1882 Herzegovina uprising Boxer Rebellion Balkan Wars World War I (rear echelon troops) • Designer — Franz Wänzel • Number — 70,000 • Variants — Wänzel Infanterie Gewehr M1854/67 Wänzel Infanterie Gewehr M1862/67 Wänzel JägerStutzen M1854/67 Wänzel JägerStutzen M1862/67 Wänzel Extra-Corps Gewehr M1854/67 Wänzel Extra-Corps Gewehr M1862/67 Wänzel WallGewehr M1872 • Length — 41.4 in to 52.6 in • Cartridge — 14×33mmRF (rimfire) 14×33mmR (centerfire) • Action — Front-hinged trapdoor • Feed — Single-shot • Illustration — Various Wänzl rifles
Identity
Identity
Wänzl rifle is classified as a single-shot rifle. Associated with Austrian Empire. Recorded from 1867.
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 2 entries
1867
Wänzl rifle first recorded.
1867
Wänzl rifle is recorded from 1867.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
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Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Wänzl rifle, revision 1368001806 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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