Brunswick Rifle | |
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Type | Muzzle-loading rifle |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | British Army |
Used by | British Empire, United States, Belgium, Nepal |
Wars | British colonial conflicts Crimean War American Civil War |
Production history | |
Designed | 1836 |
Produced | 1836–1885 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 10 pounds (4.5 kg) |
Barrel length | 30 inches (760 mm) |
Cartridge | Lead ball |
Calibre | 0.704 inches (17.9 mm) |
Action | Percussion lock |
Rate of fire | User dependent; usually 3–4 rounds a minute |
Effective firing range | 300 yards |
Feed system | Muzzle-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]