The Wänzl or Wänzel rifle was a breech-loading conversion of the Lorenz M1854 and M1862 rifles, adopted in 1866, shortly after the Austrian Empire was defeated in the Austro-Prussian War, as a stopgap measure before it a design by Josef Werndl was formally approved the next year.

History

After their defeat in the Austrian-Prussian War of 1866, Archduke Albrecht demanded the infantry to be immediately re-equipped; subsequently, the Austrians began converting their old stocks of Lorenz rifles into the Wänzl as a stopgap measure before adopting the Werndl–Holub rifle in 1867.

Design

The rifle was a lifting-block breechloader chambered for the 14×33mmRF cartridge. A total of 70,000 Lorenz rifles were converted to the Wänzl system. Contract to make 80,000 unit.https://thinlineweapons.com/Hungariae/Wanzl.htm

See also

Albini-Braendlin rifle Snider-Enfield rifle Springfield model 1873 Tabatière rifle Green M1867, a Serbian conversion of Lorenz M1854 Weaponry of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

References

Sources

Manowar's Hungarian Weapons