M74: The last Dreyse

[chrisftk]

Trying to make CB proud up in collector heaven. I scored a couple rare Dreyses this week and will share them.

Here is the last Dreyse Needle Rifle model adopted by a German state. These are exceptionally rare. The m74 was a last ditch attempt to keep the aged design relevant after the introduction of the M71 Mauser. This model featured some substantial upgrades; a self cocking bolt system, easily replaceable needle and a tighter sealing bolt derived from Beck's conversion. The bolt sits almost flat when closed, unlike the distinctive angled tilt of prior Dreyse systems.

Unfortunately, the rifle was still quite antiquated and the Grand Duchy of Baden was the only government buyer. Baden purchased around 1,000 of these for use with their Zöll (customs and border guards) personnel. The buttplate is marked as such on this example. All numbers match and this rifle has a rate muzzle cap as well. The needle is broken at the tip (about an inch or so short)

After this design, Dreyse Needle firearms were made for commercial use only and were eventually supplanted by more modern sporters. For its part, Dreyse continued for some time as a producer of M71 rifles and Reichsrevolvers aside from sporters.

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[chrisftk]

Pics- note the new bolt design to facilitate cocking on opening.

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[CLG]

Chris, where on earth do you find these rifles! Muzzle cover too?! I suppose it’s like when I was a museum curator and people would ask me where I found things, and the simple answer is “ I’m always looking”.

 

[Warrior1354]

And I thought I had some rare muzzle covers but damn lol! Nice Dreyse Chris!

 

[PrayingMantis]

Exceptional piece! Great background information, too. Thanks as always for the awesome photos.

 

[cj556]

Glad to see you scoring these Needle guns Chris!

 

[Loewe]

CB would have enjoyed these threads and your keen interest in these! I think more than anything he was a researcher and enjoyed the less well known variations; though we mostly discussed interwar topics, he was broadly versed and could easily match any specialization, - far more than I ever could...

I too marvel at the variety and diversity of your collecting, I know of no one else with such a diverse and discerning eye for the true rarities in the field, - the German Confederation era is the avant garde of this field! And indeed some of these examples are reminiscent of art, certainly more so than the crap that passes for art or culture today...

Anyway, CB would have found much in common with your passion!

 

[chrisftk]

Chris, where on earth do you find these rifles! Muzzle cover too?! I suppose it’s like when I was a museum curator and people would ask me where I found things, and the simple answer is “ I’m always looking”.

Thank you Charles! It really is just that; I'm always looking and I have a good network of friends that help each other look for things. It's really been the difference for me.

And I thought I had some rare muzzle covers but damn lol! Nice Dreyse Chris!

Thanks buddy! Yeah, I was pretty tickled it came with one. Never seen one loose.

Exceptional piece! Great background information, too. Thanks as always for the awesome photos.

Thanks Cyrus-- with these odd balls I try to give a little context. Not many folks can identify the differences in the dozens of Needle Rifle models. To his credit, Ian did a video on this model a couple years ago when Morphy had one (only other m74 I've seen for sale)

Glad to see you scoring these Needle guns Chris!

Thanks buddy! They fly under the radar. I think even the "common" models being rare causes a lot of collectors to throw their hands up. Haha.

CB would have enjoyed these threads and your keen interest in these! I think more than anything he was a researcher and enjoyed the less well known variations; though we mostly discussed interwar topics, he was broadly versed and could easily match any specialization, - far more than I ever could...

I too marvel at the variety and diversity of your collecting, I know of no one else with such a diverse and discerning eye for the true rarities in the field, - the German Confederation era is the avant garde of this field! And indeed some of these examples are reminiscent of art, certainly more so than the crap that passes for art or culture today...

Anyway, CB would have found much in common with your passion!

Thank you Paul, as always for the kind words. Years ago when I started collecting, I did what a lot of people do and bought everything that looked cool. German, Brit, American, etc..A good collector buddy warned me that I should pick a specialty; Country and period. No question for me to pick Germany, but after a brief love affair with k98k, I caught the bug and decided to just go for anything German. It's been a fun ride so far.

Though I only corresponded with CB directly a few times (on Reichsrevolvers of all things), his breadth and depth of collecting astonished and inspired me. While I doubt I could ever match his knowledge, my collecting focus has been to mirror his since his death.

The confederation period has been the most fulfilling so far. The only close competition is the Weimar era. Finding quality pieces (or pieces at all) is very difficult. Despite many Potsdam muskets being out there, I was picky and wanted one with a legible lockplate, stock cartouches and a unit mark. I finally scored a nice 1832, and I felt like Ahab harpooning Moby Dick. Haha. The thrill is definitely in the hunt with these.

I'll keep these coming. I have a really neat pre-unification (and pre Mauser Oberndorf-made) Dreyse from Württemberg on deck.



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[Nulle100]

Great find Chris, thanks for the great pics and background.
Happy hunting!

 

[chrisftk]

Great find Chris, thanks for the great pics and background.
Happy hunting!

Thank you!

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[Spartaner545]

Chris, this is another beautiful needle rifle you have here. Congratulations!
Even though i do not collect the non-prussian dreyse guns, they are indeed a very interesting and often overlooked field of collecting.

There are only a few things i know about your rifle. First of all the bayonet for it looked identical to the prussian fusilier bayonet M/60 (as seen in the picture) only with a 7 - 8 cm shorter blade.

Second thing is, i have read that these needle rifles were in servide until at least 1910 (!) and their bayonets were still in service with the police in 1920/30.


Keep your dreyse rifles coming. I love to look at your fine pictures. Maybe i will post some of my own rifles as well.

With kind regards from germany

Vincent