This rifle is considered to be the first breech loading system that utilized a completely selfcontained cartridge. Dreyse needle gun converted to 12 gauge bolt action shotgun. Chassepot definition of chassepot by the free dictionary. More likely what the germans call a notstandsgewehr an emergency conversion or upgrade in this.
I have no experience with the dreyse rifles, which fetch colossal prices over here, being regarded as a kind of national treasure and not requiring a licence. Its worth mentioning that most detachable magazine autoloading pistols present a potential hazard for untrained individuals. The company was generally known for the famous dreyse needle gun but they also manufactured caplock revolvers. The little dreyse is nearly identical in size and profile to the 1906 fn browning, with which it was clearly intended to compete, though it does not have a grip safety like the browning. Dreyse m1860 needle fire rifle first cartridge breechloader in german military service, also known as a zundnadelgewehr or needle gun. The prussians would not permit them to visit the gun factory where the dreyse was manufactured, as i recall in a book on the delafield commission. One is french needle gun chassepot in very clean, nicer than the dreyse, condition. It is a very high quality conversion done with care by a highly skilled gunsmith. The dreyse needle rifle or zundnadelgewehr, which translates to needle firing rifle was a major step forward in military rifle technology, although it did not remain at the forefront for very long much like the spencer repeating rifle in that regard. Like the browning, it is a strikerfired blowbackoperated gun. At first, the spandau factory produced 12,000 dreyse needle guns a year, rising to 48,000 in 1867. Mauser rifles and pistols is also available to purchase in print.
The other is a mauser, no description other than dg mod 7184 stamped on side of barrel by bolt action. A breechloading rifle introduced into the french army in 1866. The following information on the dreyse needle gun zundnadelgewehr comes from chapter 1 of mauser rifles and pistols by w. However, the benefits of the dreyse gun came at a price. The third model, using a similar system to the prussian dreyse needle gun, became the french service weapon on 30 august 1866. This circa 1860s dreyse needle gun that has been converted to a 12 gauge, bolt action shotgun is proably the most unususal and rare firearm i have ever discovered. Dreyse definition of dreyse by the free dictionary. After many modifications, dreyse produced his first unique bolt action rifle in the year 1838. Originally a nickname for the german dreyse military boltaction rifle of the 1840s, needle gun was used to describe all hinged breechblock, singleshot rifles including the english enfield by the time the 1873 springfield trapdoor was introduced as a. As to the value of your gun, it depends on which one. Finding the blue book value of your new and used firearms, including pistols, rifles, shotguns, airguns, and blackpowder guns is easy with the number one. The danes were armed with muzzle loading rifles i guess fairly similar to the 1853 enfield rifle whilst the prussian troops had the dreyse needle gun. A comprehensive history of the standard boltaction designs, 18711945 john.
Dreyse rifle article about dreyse rifle by the free. The firm of dreyse made several pistols, but the most common being the model of 1907. This singleshot firearm was a military breechloading rifle, famous for being the main infantry weapon of the prussians between 1841 and 1873. A needle gun or needle rifle for varieties with rifling is a firearm that has a needlelike firing pin, which can. The dreyse needle gun which was used by the prussian army, was the first practical bolt action breech loading military rifle. Im not certain that the one i have is operating correctly. The dreyse rifle, invented between 1827 and 1829, was adopted by the russian army in 1848. The needle gun name stemmed from the firing pin in the action which was used to pierce the cartridges and activate the propellant. All of these rifles have been entered in competitions and demonstrations. The dreyse rifle was also the first breechloading rifle to use the bolt action to open and close the chamber, executed by turning and pulling a bolt handle. It is famous for having been the main infantry weapon of the prussians, who accepted it for service in 1841 as the leichtes perkussionsgewehr model 1841 light percussion rifle model 1841, with the name chosen to hide the revolutionary nature of the new.
The dreyse pistols were designed by louis schmeisser, a designerengineer in the employ of the sommerda division of the rheinische metallwaren u. As a singleshot weapon, the needle gun was reloaded after every firing action by manipulation of the bolt lever. Dreyse model 1841 needle gun boltaction service rifle. The 1907s can be all over the place for value depending on condition and acceptance stamps, etc. Dreyse synonyms, dreyse pronunciation, dreyse translation, english dictionary definition of dreyse.
Depiction of the dreyse needlegun showing a full gun, a cross section of the percussion mechanism, and a cross section of a cartridge. Dreyse in 1840, which increased the rate of fire five times and had the tactical advantage that the. The danes got a hard time of it, a lot of it due to politicians not listening to the generals if the series is to be believed but also probably due to the prussian needle gun. When the needle gun was fired, a needle pierced the bottom of a paper cartridge and ignited the explosive and fuze of the percussion shell. Its effective range was just 600m at best, compared to 1,000 metres for the muzzle.
Dreyse m1860 needle rifle at ria video forgotten weapons. Dreyse also offered the needle gun to the french, who after testing the weapon declined to purchase it in large quantities citing the weakness of the firing pin and a loss of breechpressure after repeated firing. Entering service in 1841, the needle gun gradually became the standard service rifle of the prussian army and many other german states. Guns have been used to implement both the highest and basest goals of. I just acquired an m1841 dreyse zundnaddlegewer and need information on the guns operation. The first two models of the chassepot still used percussion cap ignition. Shooting dreyse needle ignition archive gunboards forums. The dreyse is designed to look as if it has a full length slide like the browning, but it doesnt. Dreyse m1841 needle gun intro, field strip and range report english subtitles hd duration. The musket style front band with the foresight blade looks like that on the much older m41 dreyse needle rifle. Other needle ignition of interest to be posted at a later date are the m65. In 1841, the breechloading dreyse needle gun, which packed the projectile and.
Dreyse pistols firearms identification bev fitchetts guns. The needlefire dreyse was a repeater that utilized a very thin firing pin to strike a primer inside a paper cartridge. A fantastic reference book for those interested in the dreyse rifle, amazing. For businessexclusive pricing, quantity discounts and downloadable. Minie rifle armed opponents often is ascribed to the needle gun, but imho a closer examination will show that superior leadership in combination with a good deal of luck was more important. In the british trials, the dreyse was shown to be capable of six rounds per minute, to maintain accuracy to 8001,200 yards.
That patent covered both a spring needle and a fulminating cartridge, the gun itself being a muzzle loader. Also has spandau stamp and crown emblem in the metal. The dreyse model 1907 is a semiautomatic pistol designed by louis schmeisser. In order to get the bolt to unlock and open, the cocking piece must be withdrawn manually. The dreyse needlegun was a military breechloading rifle. French, after antoine alphonse chassepot 18331905, french gunsmith. The first needle gun with a rifled bore was the prussian rifle created by j. Value range of 1861 dreyse needle gun with original. Later dreyse guns adopted by the prussian army were rifles using selfcontained combustible.
The r under crown corresponding with article 4 of the law of 1891 says that the barrel or the chamber have been altered and the gun has then been proofed once more. The chassepot was named after its inventor, antoine alphonse chassepot 18331905, who, from the mid1850s onwards, had constructed various experimental forms of breech loaders. Dreyse built his first needle gun in 1827 and took out a patent on it in 1828. It is famous for having been the main infantry weapon of the prussians, who accepted it for service in. It had a long, sharp firing pin designed to pierce the charge of propelling powder and strike the detonating material usually mercury fulminate located at the base of the bullet. The dreyse factory went into decline after the german army adopted the mauser in 1872. His factory was in soemmerda near erfurt, thuringia, germany. It used a paper cartridge with an integrated percussion cap primer, allowing the shooter to carry fully selfcontained ammunition. The police model has a flattopped slide and a much higher rear sight than the standard guns. This french needle gun was modified by paul mauser to accommodate.
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