Console percussion musket
Console percussion musket is an early Austrian percussion weapon, equipped with uniquely Austrian tube lock percussion mechanism. It was developed in 1835 for quick and cheap conversion of the existing flintlock weapons to new percussion system. It did not use the standard copper percussion caps for ignition, but originally developed percussion tubes. In 1835-1838 several thousand of flintlock rifles and cavalry pistols were converted to the Console system. In 1840 it was further developed into similar, but better Augustin musket.
History
The advantages of the percussion lock—called in Austria simply the "capsule lock"—led to its adoption in most European countries between 1825 and 1840, for military, hunting, and luxury rifles. In Austria, however, in 1830. the official military commission rejected the percussion cap as unsuitable for war and too small and tiny for the soldier's hands—although percussion caps were already produced in Austria at the time—and turned to chemical locks, where the primer was used in metal tubes, some of which could be inserted into the flash hole.Console percussion lock
An original form of percussion lock was invented in 1830. by the Austrian tax official Giuseppe Console in Milan. Instead of the classical percussion cap, Console attached a piece of straw to a string and filled it with a mixture of potassium chlorate and blackpowder, making that way a primer tube. When subjected to the hammer blow, the primer tube would explode. Replacing straw with a cylinder of rolled copper sheet attached to a wire suitable for gripping, Console developed a primer tube suitable for military use. He also developed a simple percussion lock, ideal for quick and cheap conversion of the large stock of the existing Austrian military flintlock weapons.Console percussion lock retained most of the old flintlock parts: it needed only a new priming pan and a spring-loaded pan cover, with a protrusion on the lower side. The old flintlock hammer could also be used, by clamping a piece of iron between its yaws instead of the flint.
The groove corresponded to the firing hole, and the sausage-shaped "igniter" was inserted into it and held in place by the pan cover. The blow of the hammer—the old cock remained, but with a piece of iron screwed in instead of the flint—on the lid caused the explosion.
Testing in 1835 showed that Console muskets were superior to flintlocks both in the rate of fire and reliability. The rate of misfire for Console muskets was about 10%, compared to 20-30% for flintlock weapons. However, it was much worse than less than 1% for the standard caplock weapons of the day.
Conversion of flintlock weapons in 1835-1838
After repeated trials and testing of various Console lock models, Console's invention was adopted in 1838, and fitted to the flintlock rifles of the several Jäger battalions in Vienna, Moravia, and Tyrol. These were not new weapons, but converted old flintlocks equipped with new Console percussion locks, both rifled and smoothbore ones. The converted infantry weapons were Jaeger short rifle M1838 and smoothbore Jaeger carbine M1838 . In 1838, several thousand of the smoothbore flintlock Jaeger carbines M1807 received the Console tube lock and became Jaeger carbine M1838. From 1842 onwards, they were all converted to Augustin lock.Console percussion locks were also installed on some cavalry rifled carbines, that were renamed Cavalry short rifle M1835.
| Weapon | Original name | Year of production | Caliber | Bore | Length | Mass | Price | Converted flintlock weapon |
| Cavalry short rifle M1835 | Cavallerie-Stutzen M. 1835 | 1835 | 15.6 | Rifled, 8 grooves | 69 | 2.5 | 11.60 | Cavallerie-Stutzen M. 1798 |
| Jaeger short rifle M1838 | Jäger-Stutzen M. 1838 | 1838 | 13.9 | Rifled, 7 grooves | 105.2 | 3.8 | 12.50 | Jäger-Stutzen M. 1807 |
| Jaeger carbine M1838 | Jäger- Karabiner M. 1838 | 1838 | 17.6 | Smooth | 123 | 3.8 | 9.32 | Jäger-Karabiner M.1807 |
However, further production was suspended because Baron Augustin, who had meanwhile been appointed Director of Weapons Factory in Vienna, came up with an improvement to the Console lock, with which all rifles were to be equipped.