An extremely rare breechloading wheel-lock sporting carabine. Dating: last quarter of the 16th Century. Provenence: Germany Octagonal, 12 mm. cal. barrel with eight deep star-shaped lines, enlarged towards the nozzle, with a iron rear sight and a set brass front sight, above the breech is the gunmaker's mark, the ends are engraved with thin ornamental bands; on the base is an openable breech and snap spring, mounted on two hinges, the tang is provided with a safety-lock; cylindrical and extractable powder chamber connected to the pan with a sliding cover, the surface is finely engraved with floral motifs; extraordinary wheel-lock of large dimensions, with a smooth and flat plate, the outside wheel is covered by a brass mount finely pierced and engraved, with two winged griffins on a variety of flowers, the back part with a chiselled safety lock with a small brass hand, a second snap sliding pan cover; large cock with a deeply chiselled spring, with beautiful engravings of fish and floral motifs, with a rare type of safety lock anchored at the base that allows the loading of the gun only if lifted; inside is an innovative loading mechanism with a mobile toothed rod, the covering are masterfully engraved with dragons, the trigger bar is blued; wooden full stock with elegant intarsia engraved in bone, around the tang are two faces looking at opposite directions, on the cheekpiece is a jumping deer, on the cover of the patch-box is a hunter with a sword and a wheel-lock gun, on the lower part is a man with a turban, on the borders are bands, flowers and polka-dot decorations; anatomical iron trigger guard, the base is chiselled and pierced in the center; leaf-shaped trigger with set trigger; bone-tipped ramrod, guard with smooth bone plate with a metallic sphere.Extraordinary hunting carabine with innovative and great quality system and lock. The mechanics allowed to have many charges ready to be shot, thus granting a large advantage over other hunters. See a very similar weapon in "One Hundred Great Guns", by Merrill Lindsay, 1968, page no. 114/115. This extraordinary Russel Aitken Collection carabine, too, has the same loading system, the same safety locks, and similar decorations inside the lock. The cock, too, seems to have the same safety lock system as this carabine.  . Condition report: excellent