The Austrian Werndl breechloading rifle,During the Austro-Prussian War the Austrian Empire learned t

The Austrian Werndl breechloading rifle,During the Austro-Prussian War the Austrian Empire learned the value of having up to date technology due to a bloody defeat at the Prussians.  While the Prussians were armed with Dreyse needlefire breechloading repeating rifles, the Austrian Army was still armed with a muzzleloading rifle musket called the Lorenz. While the Lorenz was a generation behind the Dreyse, the Lorenz wasn’t even a particularly good musket when compared to other muskets. Throughout most of the Austro-Prussian War, Austria would suffer terrible casualties as a result.  Even in battles where the Austrian Army was victorious, they often suffered worse casualties than the Prussians.In 1867 the Austrian Army righted the error of it’s ways by adopted the Model 1867 Werndl Holub breechloading rifle.  Unlike prior muzzleloading muskets, the Werndl was a breechloading rifle which used self contained metallic cartridges.  An invention of the designers Karol Holub and Josef Werndel, the Werndl rifle’s signature feature was its rotating drum action breech.  To load the user simply had to rotate the breech block a little less than 180 degrees, insert a cartridge, then close the breech by rotating it back in place. This system of loading was faster than most other breechloading systems of the day, but since the design lacked an ejector, firing was slowed because the user had to removed empty casings by hand. Originally the Werndl was chambered for an 11mm rimfire cartridge (11.15x42R), but was later upgraded to use a more powerful and more reliable 11mm centerfire cartridge (11.15x58R).  In trials the Werndl performed admirably, but tied with the American made Remington rolling block.  With the judges in a deadlock, the Austrian Emperor personally chose which rifle should be adopted by the Austrian Army.  As fate would have it, he chose the Werndl.The Werndl rifle would rarely see action in the hands of the Austrian Army.  However, many made their way to the Balkans, where they were used by revolutionaries and freedom fighters in the various wars of independence against the Ottoman Empire.  They were also a common weapon used in the Balkan Wars in which Greece and various Balkan nations allied against the Ottoman Empire shortly before World War I.  By WWI the Werdl was a heavily outdated weapon as most nations had adopted bolt action repeating rifles. By 1888 the Werndl was phased out in preference for the bolt action Mannlicher rifle. However the Werndl was still used by the Austro-Hungarian Army, primary as a reserve arm for rear echelon troops.   Between 1867 and 1888 around 500,000 Werndl rifles were produced. -- source link

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