Brunswick rifle

Brunswick Rifle
TypeMuzzle-loading rifle
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In serviceBritish Army
Used byBritish Empire, United States, Belgium, Nepal
WarsBritish colonial conflicts
Crimean War
American Civil War
Production history
Designed1836
Produced1836–1885
Specifications
Mass10 pounds (4.5 kg)
Barrel length30 inches (760 mm)

CartridgeLead ball
Calibre0.704 inches (17.9 mm)
ActionPercussion lock
Rate of fireUser dependent; usually 3–4 rounds a minute
Effective firing range300 yards
Feed systemMuzzle-loaded

The Brunswick rifle was a large calibre (0.704 inches or 17.9 millimetres) muzzle-loading percussion rifle manufactured for the British Army at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield in the early 19th century. Its name is derived from the historical German state of Brunswick because the British were experimenting with Hanoverian percussion cap technology during the period Great Britain and Hanover (1714–1837) had the same head of state.[1]

  1. ^ "British Military Rifles: 1800 - 2000" By Peter Duckers