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While I occasionally have visited this forum over the last few years, I never felt the necessity of registration. This changed when recently I obtained a (thought back then) single break-barrel shotgun by A. Mulacz of Vienna. At this point I might also mention that while I do have a hunting permit and from time to time go hunting plus being an avid gun collector, my main interest are with governmental (military and police) sniper rifles.

Having taken the Mulacz rifle home I inspected it in detail and couldn't find answer to most of my questions. Prior to the purchase I was not aware of this gunsmith, so when checking the name I found out that there are two Anton Mulacz which are father and son. While the father was active from 1860 to 1893, the son continued the business starting in 1893 at the same address (Alserstraße 38 in Vienna). Mulacz was a K.K. Hof-Büchsenmacher.

The first thing that kept me unsure of the item was the fact that while the rifle was a shotgun and smoothbored it nevertheless not only featured front- and rearsight, but in fact also a foldable peep sight with a dovetailed part that even could be changed. On top of this the rifle features double set trigger ("Deutscher Stecherabzug"), which is nothing you would expect on a shotgun. But when checking the barrel in detail for the caliber I noticed that there is very minor rifling at the muzzle which is barely (if at all) visible if you check it from the chamber. And I need to admit that this was the first time I've ever seen a Paradox rifling in person. This then explained why it has a rear sight at all, as well as the double set trigger.

The second thing to find out more was the firing proof. It can be deciphered by the 9573.02 as the firing proof number (9573), as well as the .02 being the year (1902) which also allows to date the rifle to the young Anton Mulacz. I on the other hand could not find an explanation to the 18°8 stamp on bottom of the barrel block, as well as the 8 (which at my best guess is an internal assembly number) on bottom of the barrel. Any identification to these would be highly appreciated.

Generally the rifle is a truly amazing piece of art. Aside of the barrel all metal was color case hardened with a beautiful floral engraving. Even buttplate and screws usually hidden inside below the barrel are color case hardened, as well as engraved. An interesting fact is that "A. Mulacz" is twice engraved to the rifle - not only atop the barrel, but also on the right side plate behind the hammer. The serial number is hidden on bottom behind the side lever and only visible in open position. The best thing is that this rifle is unaltered since it was made, and this in an amazing condition. I really wonder how it could had survived two World Wars in such good condition. The only minor issue I could find was the stock on the left side becoming a bit lighter where the cheek would rest, to my guess due to the shooters sweat. But this isn't really an issue since it can be easily "repaired" by a bit of oil.

Finally I nevertheless have one issue left with this rifle for which I hope to get the help of more knowledgeable persons here: what is the caliber of this gun?

Comparing it with other shotguns and trying to see what fits it turned out that a 12 gauge shell would fit the chamber quite precisely. On the other hand the muzzle of this rifle is way too large in comparison with other shotguns of mine. I measured an internal muzzle diameter of 18.96mm with a 10/89 shotgun, 17.85mm with a 12/76 shotgun, 16.06mm with a 16/67 shotgun and 15.88mm with a 20/76 shotgun. This particular rifle has 18.76mm muzzle diameter! Additionally it has such a large material thickness at the muzzle that it puts my 10/89 shotgun to shame, but at the same time weighting less than 3kg.

Attached is a set of pictures of the rifle which I have done myself. Only the last picture illustrating the muzzle diameters in comparison was a quick and dirty picture I did with a mobile phone - please excuse the quality of it.

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