Russian Cadet rifle (?) based on the 1854 model

Общая длина: 1123 мм.
Длина ствола: 780 мм.
Калибр: 18 мм.

A very interesting and rare find of our store, never before seen on sale or in private collections, is a scaled–down shotgun, made, judging by its appearance, according to the model of a rifled rifle of the 1854 model, but with a smooth barrel and reduced dimensions. The gun was found in the attic in a very poor condition, cleaned by the previous owner. The tree is a well–executed museum replica, hardly distinguishable from the original. Most of the stamps were lost as a result of cleaning (only traces of them are visible), however, the stamps on the lock and the back of the stock are well preserved. A rare sample, probably produced in small batches for students of cadet corps and military educational institutions.

The Russian rifled rifle of the 1854 model is a 7.1—line (18.03 mm) four-rifled percussion cap weapon, which was produced for infantry and cavalry during the Crimean War. It was used by Russian army units and dragoon regiments during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. In the middle of the 19th century, the Russian army was mainly armed with smoothbore rifles of the 1845 model. The 1854 models with rifled barrels were created to increase the range and accuracy of fire in order to respond to the appearance of rifled weapons from opponents (for example, the British Enfield rifle). Due to the difficulties of industrial production, rifled rifles and fittings made up only a small part of the arsenal at the beginning of the war, but laid the foundation for the transition to mass-produced rifled weapons in subsequent years.