This rifle has been identified previously as having been produced for Holy Roman Empress Elisabeth Christine (1691-1750) and made by her royal gunmakers Franz and Wilhelm Weyer. She was the mother of famed Empress Maria Theresa, the only female Habsburg ruler. The Weyer (Weier) family of gunmakers were active in the early 18th century in and around Vienna, Austria. Franz Wilhelm Weyer began his apprenticeship in 1709, became a journeyman in 1715, and a master gunmaker in 1717. He served as a royal gunmaker for Holy Roman Empress Elisabeth Christine, but only briefly since he died in 1723 which was the same year Franz Anton Weyer began his apprenticeship (believed to be his son). See Der Neue Stockel by Heer p. 1373. Per the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, "Almost without exception, the Habsburg rulers were so enthusiastic hunters that at the Viennese court there were also excellent gunsmiths who, since 1661, formed their own guild and whose works reached their peak in the 18th century." A somewhat similar rifle owned by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI is part of the collection of the same museum, and a similar rifle is in a painting of the emperor in the same collection. He died on a hunting trip, likely due to consuming poisonous mushrooms. The woman in a riding/hunting hat on the buttplate may represent the empress. The swamped barrel is signed "FRANZ WEIER IN WIENN" in gold inlay and has a gold lined Holy Roman Empire double headed eagle mark (shown by Stockel with the entry for Franz Wilhelm Weyer), and the lock is signed "WILHELM WEYER" under the pan and "IN WIENN" just behind the cock. The ornate escutcheon has an imperial crown on top and is engraved with a rampant lion inscribed at center that has been partly obliterated. The rifle has a blade front sight with inlaid gold wire accents, notch and folding leaf rear sight with ornate finial, fire gilt brass furniture with floral patterns and various hunting related scenes, a hunting scene on the lock which has a very interesting conversion style that retains the original flint cock and has a safety/cap cover in place of the frizzen, a wooden ramrod with horn tip, and an attractively raised relief carved and nicely figured walnut stock with a horn forend tip, wooden patch box, and large cheek rest.

Very fine as professionally converted in the early 19th century and partially restored. It has virtually all of the gold inlay remaining on the barrel along with 60% of the blue finish which is fading to a smooth brown patina, a mix of original gilt finish and mild aged patina on most of the furniture, a fairly bright lock with mild aging, crisp engraving and markings, some slight oxidation, and general minor marks. The stock is fine and has generally crisp carving, attractive figure concentrated on the butt, multiple professionally repaired cracks/breaks (forend, wrist, and butt), and light marks and scratches. Mechanically fine. Overall, this is a very stunning early 18th century rifle certainly worthy of ownership by a Habsburg ruler or member of their court.