Need help identifying a rifle type in a family photo...

Hello everyone- This is my first post. I was looking for a forum that this specific question would suit. I'm hoping this is the place! I am a machinist and rifle-builder in Georgia (USA) and the attached photo is a re-touched digital image of my Great-great-great Uncle Fritz. This image is a night and day improvement over the original but a lot of detail became fuzzy in the retouching process.

Does anyone know, based on the uniform and other context clues in the photo, what type of rifle he has?

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...721549_o-1.jpg

A time frame for the photo/time of service would be helpful, but I'm 99% sure it's a Dreyse Needle Gun

If not that, then an M71 Mauser

I also thought the Needle Gun. He was in the Prussian Army?

I know that my ancestors related to him were from Germany. I don't have a date for the photo.

I'd have to go with Dreyse as well, at least from what I can see on my phone.
Glad to see another Georgian on here!

Yes it's a Dreyse "Zündnadelgewehr" ( I was handling one only a couple of days ago) and no, its, not an Mauser M71 (which I have, and shoot in competitions).

The extremely long action indicates that it is the model M41. It could also be an M62, with improved gas-sealing. One would need to open the action to tell the difference.