The Kalthoff repeating rifle was a groundbreaking weapon that could have changed the face of warfare. Its inventor remains unknown, however, due to the fact that it was manufactured by the well-known Kalthoff family of gunsmiths, since the 16th century it has been known by this name.
The Kalthoffs served the kings of Denmark for many years. Probably one of the sons of the progenitor and first gunsmith of the Hermann family was the inventor of the rifle. The rifle was a repeater. It had a "magazine" where the fireballs were stored and one where the gunpowder was.
With a flick of the cocking lever which was also a trigger guard – as in some later 19th century rifles and arabesques – a ball and the appropriate amount of gunpowder entered a sort of breech and the gun was ready to fire.> The first guns of the type were armed with a wheel firing system but were soon fitted with flintlocks.
The rifles had six balls and the corresponding gunpowder initially. Some sources say he had 30 "shots". In theory the rifle could fire 50 rounds per minute. It was an excellent, highly innovative weapon for its time, but it cost a lot as their manufacture required precision, excellent raw materials and many working hours.
By the middle of the era it could not be put into mass production , in contrast to the common, cheap, but not remarkable muskets of the time, which could, however, be mass-produced even by non-specialized craftsmen.
If a quorum broke or presented a problem the rifle was rendered useless and only an experienced gunsmith could repair it. Even the gunpowder used to fill it had to be of excellent quality in perfectly "measured doses".
About 100 rifles were made available to the Danish royal guards who apparently used them to good effect at the siege and battle of Copenhagen in 1658-59 and in the Little Northern War.
