#breechloader

Smith Carbine

A quick and dirty video (filmed & edited on my phone) featuring a Smith Carbine I had a brief look at during the 2019 Winchester Collectors Show. The Smith was a breech-loader which saw significant use with Union forces during the US Civil War with over 30,000 being produced. Fouling issues and the use of rubber cased bullets were the rifle's downfall.  We'll hopefully have a more in-depth video on it in the future!

The 1866 Benson-Poppenburg Breechloading Rifle

In the wake of the Prussian-Danish and Austro-Prussian Wars the 1860s saw much of Europe scramble to adopt breechloading rifles. Britain was amongst the first to leap into the process to find a suitable rifle. They held extensive trials with over 20 designs tested in an effort to find a rifle which could stand up to the difficult field conditions found across the British Empire. One of the most interesting rifles was submitted by Johann von der Poppenburg.

In this week’s Armourer’s Bench video I take a look at the Benson-Poppenburg which used an ingenious horizontally sliding action. The prototypes were seemingly rushed for the trials and suffered some problems, the Snider and  what became the Martini-Henry eventually won out.

Check out my full length blog, with some extra history, over on the TAB website here.

Prince’s Patent Breechloading Rifle

Hey guys, here’s my first Armourer’s Bench video of 2019. Towards the end of last year I had the chance to look at an example of Frederic Prince's breechloading percussion rifle dating from the 1850s. 

Prince’s rifle used a sliding barrel action, with the barrel sliding forward when the action was unlocked, to open the breech. It’s a fascinating design, almost the reverse of a later bolt action with the bolt attached to the barrel rather than the breechblock/bolt. It was tested by the British Army and recommended for more testing but the trials never took place and it wouldn’t be until the 1860s that the British Army adopted a breechloader. 

It’s a beautifully made gun with fascinating history behind it, it was a real pleasure to examine. Feel free to check out the video above and an even more in-depth article I wrote about it with more hi-res photos here. 

The 1866 Benson-Poppenburg Breechloading Rifle

In the wake of the Prussian-Danish and Austro-Prussian Wars the 1860s saw much of Europe scramble to adopt breechloading rifles. Britain was amongst the first to leap into the process to find a suitable rifle. They held extensive trials with over 20 designs tested in an effort to find a rifle which could stand up to the difficult field conditions found across the British Empire. One of the most interesting rifles was submitted by Johann von der Poppenburg. 

In this week's Armourer’s Bench video I take a look at the Benson-Poppenburg which used an ingenious horizontally sliding action. The prototypes were seemingly rushed for the trials and suffered some problems, the Snider and  what became the Martini-Henry eventually won out. 

Check out my full length blog, with some extra history, over on the TAB website here.