Johann Fanzoj DRACON rifle: not just a hunting gun…
Johann Fanzoj‘s DRACON rifle: traveling into the World of Dragons, the famous Austrian luxury gunmaker brings the ancient idea of Guns & Art to a new dimension
The Johann Fanzoj‘s DRACON rifle is a demonstration of craftsmanship skills and artistic talent. Never before, artistic projects on firearms have been conceptionally reasoned so extensively and carried through so meticulously to the smallest detail.
Company Johann Fanzoj builds on a rich craftsmanship culture and skills passed down from generation to generation, providing testimony to the social and cultural relevance of creating and decorating magnificent hunting firearms. With such craftmanship skills, Fanzoj continues to inspire and fascinate people worldwide for this ancient art form.
The Fanzoj DRACON rifle is unique, a true original. It took thousands of hours over the last three years to accomplish this exceptional project, by using a wealth of talent and craftsmanship of a very high level - worldbest artisans, Fanzoj gunsmiths and stockmaker, saddler, tool and case maker, and the creative crew, designer, engraver, goldsmith.
THE RIFLE
The basic design of the rifle is based on the famous Mauser 98 action. For over hundred years this mechanism has been unsurpassed in design, manufacturing quality and safety. This product is not only a piece of extraordinary master craftsmanship, but also a high-accuracy and robust hunting rifle. It meets all functional requirements, such as gas pressure resistance of 4.300 bar in a .300 Winchester Magnum caliber.
THE DESIGN CONCEPT
Executed on the highest level of craftsmanship, “DRACON” incorporates breathtaking images of dragons powerfully at work in their different elements: earth, water, air and fire - a metaphor of the different aspects (elemental forces) at work inside us, made visible by our personalities.
Powerful the Earth Dragon, wingless with branches and leaf-like scales. Magnificent the wings of the Air Dragon, that spans across the upper parts and bolt. A Water Dragon winds up the barrel, while the unleashed Fire Dragon secures the rifle´s butt end.
A great performance by master engraver Franz Haas and the creative team, lead by Daniela Fanzoj. The implementation of this complex theme is remarkable on such different surfaces and levels, with masterfully deep chiseling and gold or Platinum inlay work.
THE MATERIALS
Fanzoj used platinum (alloy) as a most precious material to symbolize the conglomerate of revered draconian qualities. The dragon motifs were cut and shaped by hand from a solid platinum plate 2,5mm thick, then stably inlet into the underlying metal.
Fantastic platinum inlays also molded into the rifle stock, mimicking the dynamic shape of the dragon´s wing, with knobs of black horn which indicate the pronounced back skelton.
The pitch-black obsidian is designated as a powerful healing stone to the element EARTH. Born out of rapidly cooled volcanic lava, and razor-sharp, it was an early "treasure" for the earliest human cultures. A ruby defines instead the symbolism of Fire.
Fanzoj sources the strongest and most beautiful wood in the world, Circasian walnut root wood, and store it for minimum ten years to bring the natural humidity down to below 10%.
The stock blank wood for DRACON has a fantastic flame that gives warmth to the object, emphasizing the overall beauty.
The extraordinary mirror-like surface is the result of time-consuming filing and sanding techniques in combination with traditional oils laboriously applied over many months bringing to life the wood’s complex depth of colour and grain, and simultaneously protecting it even from rugged use.
Fanzoj DRACON rifle - Technical Specifications
Caliber
.300 Winchester Magnum
System
Fanzoj Premium bolt-action rifle, based on the Mauser 98 action
Safety
three-position safety, direct trigger
Barrel
65 cm, made from high tensile AMS (Aerospace Material Specification) steel
Stock
crafted from top-luxury Circassian walnut burr; hand-rubbed oil finish
Engraving
mythical dragons concept, masterfully executed piece of art work
Scope
Swarovski Z6i 2,5-15x44 regulated to 100m with optical and open sight
Dragons (latin: draco, ancient greek: drakon "the staring gaze”) have been among us since the beginning of time.
Ancient creatures that exist in all cultures, fascinating and haunting the mind of man, as a metaphor of the untamed power of nature.
Eastern cultures celebrate him as a powerful protector, symbol of luck as well as strength, whereas in Western folklore he appears reptilian in nature, menacing and a force with which to be reckoned.
There is something universally compelling about dragons that keeps them ever present and weaves them into our existence, in our myths, dreams, and desires.
They are rooted so deeply in our psyches that they are impossible to ignore.
The Dracon rifle is accompanied by a hard-bound book with stunning photography, which illustrates the technical and artistic challenges of its making process.
Johann Fanzoj: craftsmanship to perfection
To accomplish such exceptional theme projects, Fanzoj leverages a wealth of talent and craftsmanship of a very high level, using worldbest artisans, Fanzoj’s gunsmiths and stockmaker, saddler, tool and case maker – and the creative crew, designers, engraver, goldsmith. All individualists, but with a striving for the best as common ground, an inner drive to surpass oneself.
Founded in 1790 in Ferlach, Austria, the Johann Fanzoj firm looks back on a tradition of master craftsmanship upheld for eight generations.
While holding firm to the rich heritage of traditional skills and old-world knowledge, the new generation is bringing remarkably new visions to this old craft and fascinate worldwide by blending classic values and high aesthetics with unprecedented technical sophistication. So, each year only a small number of exclusive guns and rifles leave Fanzoj´s workshop, amazing works of technical engineering, objects of beauty and values, that have propelled Fanzoj into the worldwide elite of specialty and boutique firms.
Driven by a sense for perfection and an open mind to explore, Johann Fanzoj today prides itself on producing the finest individual pieces for the most discerning and individual of people who look for ultra-customized tools for the adventure of a lifetime.
