The longest-range rifle of the wild west. Cowboy's firearms agricultural equipment Where it all began

According to the most common version, Colt was prompted to the idea of ​​​​creating a revolver by observing the rotating mechanism on the ship "Corvo", on which great inventor traveled from Boston to Calcutta. One way or another, it was on board the Corvo that Colt first made a wooden model of what was later called a revolver. Upon returning to the USA, Colt, distinguished by his business acumen and enterprise, applied to the patent office and issued patent No. 1304 dated August 29 (according to other sources, February 25), 1836, which described the basic principles of the operation of a weapon with a rotating drum.

Colt Paterson

In late 1836, Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Paterson, New Jersey began production of Colt's five-shot, .28-caliber cap revolvers, sold under the name Colt Paterson. In total, until 1842, 1,450 revolving rifles and carbines, 462 revolving shotguns and 2,350 revolvers were produced. Naturally, all weapons were percussion caps. The first samples were characterized by low reliability, regular breakdowns and a very imperfect design, not to mention the extremely unsafe and inconvenient reloading process. Not surprisingly, the US government showed little interest in the new weapon. The Army purchased only a few revolver carbines for testing. The largest customer for Colt's company was the Republic of Texas, which bought 180 revolving shotguns and rifles for the Rangers, and about the same number of revolvers for the Texas Navy. A number of revolvers (more powerful caliber - .36) were ordered privately by the Texas Rangers themselves with their own money. Low demand in 1842 led to the bankruptcy of the factory.

Colt Paterson made 1836-1838 (still without loading rod)

Thus, the most popular Colt Paterson revolver model produced in Paterson became the No. 5 Holster, also known as the Texas Paterson - a .36 caliber revolver. About 1,000 units were produced. Half of them occurred in the period from 1842 to 1847, after bankruptcy. Their production was established by Colt's creditor and former partner John Ehlers.

Colt Paterson 1836-1838 with the trigger retracted

One of the most significant conflicts involving the use of Colt Paterson revolvers was the Battle of Bander Pass between the Mexican Army and Texas Rangers, among whom was US Army Captain Samuel Walker. Later, during the Mexican-American War, Walker met Colt and together with him modified the Colt Paterson revolver, called the Colt Walker. There was good demand for it, since the Colt Walker was much more reliable and convenient than its predecessor. Thanks to this, Colt returned to developing weapons in 1847.

Texas Ranger. 1957 The Colt company owes much of its success to the Rangers

From a technical point of view, the Colt Paterson is a five-shot open-frame revolver. Single action trigger mechanism (English Single Action, SA) with a trigger folding inside the body. Each time you fire, you have to cock the hammer. The revolver is loaded from the muzzle of the chambers - with gunpowder and a bullet (round or conical) or with a ready-made cartridge in a paper sleeve containing a bullet and gunpowder.

.44 caliber paper cartridges and loading tool

Capsules (still produced today - for lovers of such weapons)

Then a primer is placed on the brand tube in the breech of the drum - a miniature cup made of soft metal (usually brass) with a small charge of shock-sensitive fulminate of mercury. On impact, the charge explodes and creates a jet of flame, which, through a fire tube, ignites the powder charge in the chamber. You can read more about this here:. Everything that has been said about the principles of operation of such weapons applies to all other capsule revolvers.

Sights consist of a front sight and a rear sight on the trigger. Loading of early models of Colt Paterson revolvers, produced before 1839, was carried out only by partially disassembling it and removing the drum, using a special tool - essentially a small press for pressing bullets into the chambers of the drum.

This process was long and inconvenient, especially in field conditions. Not only was reloading the Colt Paterson unsafe, but carrying it was also unsafe, as there were no manual safeties. To speed up reloading, gunfighters usually carried several pre-loaded drums with them and simply changed them as needed. In later models, from 1839, the design featured a built-in pressing lever-ramrod and a special hole in the front of the frame for it. This mechanism made it possible to significantly speed up and simplify reloading - now it was possible to equip the drum without removing it from the revolver. This improvement made it possible to get rid of the additional tool, and from that time on the ramrod lever became an integral element of the design of almost all Colt capsule revolvers.

Colt Paterson made 1842-1847 with a shortened barrel and a ramrod lever for loading

Some performance characteristics of Colt Paterson caliber .36 with a barrel length of 7.5 inches (it should be borne in mind that even for the same model of percussion weapon they may differ slightly):
- initial speed bullets, m/s - 270;
- sighting range, m - 60;
- weight, kg - 1.2;
- length, mm - 350.

So, the first Colt Paterson revolvers were actively used by the Rangers and navy Republic of Texas, and were used to a very limited extent by the US Army. Colt Paterson was used in clashes between the Republic of Texas and Mexico, in the Mexican-American War, and in the US war with the Seminole and Comanche tribes.

Such revolvers are very highly valued today. Colt Paterson in original box with all accessories sold at auction in 2011 for $977,500

Colt Walker

The Colt Walker was developed in 1846 by Samuel Colt and Texas Ranger Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker. According to the widespread version, Walker suggested that Colt develop a powerful .44 caliber army revolver instead of the relatively weak and not very reliable Colt Paterson .36 caliber revolvers then in service. In 1847, the newly formed Colt's Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut (where it remains to this day) produced the first batch of 1,100 Colt Walker revolvers, which also became the last. That same year, Samuel Walker was killed in Texas during the Mexican-American War.

The Colt Walker is a six-shot, open-frame, capsule-operated revolver with an added trigger guard. The Colt Walker is Colt's largest black powder revolver, weighing 2.5 kilograms. From this moment on, all “non-pocket” models of Colt capsule revolvers became six-shooters.

Some performance characteristics of Colt Walker caliber .44:
- initial bullet speed, m/s - 300-370;
- sighting range, m - 90-100;
- weight, kg - 2.5;
- length, mm - 394.

The Colt Walker was used by both sides in the North-South War.

Confederate Army soldier with Colt Walker

Colt Dragoon Model 1848

The Colt Model 1848 Precision Army revolver was designed by Samuel Colt in 1848 for the US government to equip the U.S. Army's Mounted Rifles, better known in the US as dragoons. Hence its name, under which the revolver was introduced - Colt Dragoon Model 1848. In this model, a number of shortcomings of the previous Colt Walker model were eliminated - the Colt Dragoon had less weight and a ramrod lock was added.

Colt Dragoon Model 1848

Holster and belt for Colt Dragoon Model 1848

There were three releases of the Colt Dragoon model, differing from each other by minor improvements in the firing mechanism:
- first issue: from 1848 to 1850, about 7,000 were issued;
- second issue: from 1850 to 1851, about 2,550 were issued;
- third edition: from 1851 to 1860, about 10,000 Colt Dragoon revolvers were produced, of which the US government purchased more than 8,000 units.

Thus, the Colt Dragoon was produced for 12 years. The Colt company produced about 20,000 of these revolvers. The Colt Dragoon turned out to be a very successful revolver.

Separately, it is worth noting the release since 1848 of its pocket version, the Colt Pocket Model 1848 caliber .31, better known as the Baby Dragoon, especially popular among civilians.

Colt Pocket Model 1848 Baby Dragoon

Some performance characteristics of the Colt Dragoon Model 1848 caliber .44, with a barrel length of 8 inches:
- initial bullet speed, m/s - 330;

- weight, kg - 1.9;
- length, mm - 375.
The Colt Dragoon Model 1848 was used by the US and Confederate armies in the War of the North and South. A significant portion was sold to civilians.

Confederate Army soldiers with Colt Dragoon Model 1848

Colt Navy 1851

The Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber revolver (caliber 36), better known as the Colt Navy 1851, was developed by Colt specifically for arming US Navy officers. Colt Navy turned out to be such a successful model that its production continued until 1873 (from 1861 - Colt Navy Model 1861), when armies around the world switched en masse to a unitary cartridge. The Colt Navy was in production for a record 18 years in various models, with approximately 250,000 of them produced in the United States. A further 22,000 units were produced in the UK at production facilities London Armory factories. The Colt Navy is considered one of the most advanced and beautiful capsule revolvers in history.

The trigger mechanism has been improved: a special pin is made in the breech of the drum between the chambers, thanks to which, if the drum is not turned enough, accidental firing of the trigger does not cause ignition of the capsules. The Colt Navy has an octagonal barrel.

Colt Navy 1851 revolvers were in service not only with the US Army, where their main competitor was the Remington M1858 revolver, but also with army officers of the Russian Empire (which ordered a large batch from Colt), Austria-Hungary, Prussia and other countries.

Some performance characteristics of Colt Navy 1851 caliber .36:
- initial bullet speed, m/s - 230;
- sighting range, m - 70-75;
- weight, kg - 1.2-1.3;
- length, mm - 330.

Colt Navy was actively used by both sides in the war between the North and South. It became the first capsule revolver to undergo massive conversion - conversion to a unitary cartridge.

Winchester .44 Rimfire black powder rimfire cartridges

Colt Navy Model 1861 conversion

The differences from the capsule Colt Navy are clearly visible: a new drum with a door in the rear for loading, the ramrod lever has been removed and instead a spring-loaded extractor has been installed to remove spent cartridges, the depth of the recess at the rear of the drum has been increased for ease of loading with cartridges.

Remington M1858

The Remington M1858 capsule revolver, also known as the Remington New Model, was developed by the American company Eliphalet Remington & Sons and was produced in .36 and .44 calibers. Due to the fact that Colt was the patent holder, Remington was forced to pay him a royalty on each revolver produced, so the price of Remington revolvers was significantly higher than similar Colt revolvers. The Remington M1858 revolver was produced until 1875.

Over 17 years, approximately 132,000 Remington M1858 revolvers were produced in .44 caliber (military model with an 8-inch barrel) and .36 caliber (naval model with a 7.375-inch barrel). There were three large releases in total, which were almost identical - minor differences were in the appearance of the trigger, the design of the under-barrel lever and the drum.

From a technical point of view, the Remington M1858 is a six-shot cap revolver with a solid frame, the loading of which is carried out by placing ready-made cartridges in a paper case or black powder bullets into the chambers of the drum on the muzzle side, after which the primers were placed in the breech of the drum.

Single action trigger mechanism (English: Single Action, SA), no manual safeties.

Some performance characteristics of the Remington M1858 caliber .44, with an 8-inch barrel:
- initial bullet speed, m/s - about 350;
- sighting range, m - 70-75;
- weight, kg - 1.270;
- length, mm - 337.

Remington M1858 revolvers were in service with the US, British and Russian empires, Japan, Mexico, etc.

A Northern Army cavalry soldier with three Remington M1858s

The Remington M1858 was actively redesigned for a unitary cartridge. Since 1868, the company itself began producing a conversion version of the Remington M1858 revolver chambered for a .46 caliber rimfire black powder cartridge.

Remington M1858 conversion

Colt Army Model 1860

The Colt Army Model 1860 revolver was developed in 1860 and became one of the most common revolvers during the American Civil War. Produced for 13 years. In total, about 200,000 Colt Army Model 1860 revolvers were produced before 1873, and about 130,000 of them were made for the US government.

It had a modification with longitudinal grooves on the drum and less weight - Texas Model, so named because most such revolvers were purchased Texas Rangers after the Civil War.

The Colt Army Model 1860 revolver, along with the Colt Navy 1851 and Remington M1858, became one of the most beloved revolvers of its era. It was actively purchased not only by the military, but also by civilians. Moreover, revolvers were relatively inexpensive back then. For example, a Colt Army Model 1860 cost $20 (for comparison, the price of an ounce of gold on the New York Exchange in 1862 was $20.67).

1873 was a banner year for Colt. She began production of the most famous revolver in history - the Colt M1873 Single Action Army, better known as the Peacemaker. Along with the Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum revolver, the Peacemaker became a cult weapon that today has entire communities of fans. Suffice it to say that the production of first-generation Peacemakers for the civilian weapons market continued until... 1940!

Colt М1873 Single Action Army "Peacemaker"

The Peacemaker was initially produced in the powerful .45 Long Colt black powder caliber with a 7.5" barrel, with 5.5" and 4.75" barrel models soon available. Later, revolvers of calibers .44-40 WCF and .32-20 WCF (Winchester) appeared, and in the twentieth century they were supplemented by variants chambered for .22 LR, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special, etc. cartridges - just more than 30 calibers!

The Peacemaker for the US Army was produced for 9 years - until 1892, when the Peacemakers were withdrawn from service (the artillery model continued to be used until 1902) and replaced by the Colt Double Action M1892. And in total, until 1940, 357,859 first-generation Peacemakers were produced, of which 37,000 revolvers were purchased for the American army.

The Peacemaker is a six-shot solid frame revolver that is loaded through a hinged door in the cylinder on the right side of the revolver. There is a spring-loaded extractor for removing spent cartridges, located below and to the right of the barrel. The design provides for setting the trigger to the safety half-cock.

Peacemaker, a variant of the Buntline Special, with a barrel length of 16 inches (almost 41 cm)!

Some first-generation Peacemaker performance characteristics chambered for a .45 Long Colt black powder rimfire cartridge with a 7.5-inch barrel:
- initial bullet speed, m/s - more than 300;
- sighting range, m - n/a;
- weight, kg - 1.048;
- length, mm - 318;
- bullet energy, J - 710-750.

The Colt Peacemaker took part in the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars, the Great Sioux War, and the US wars against the Cheyenne and other Indian tribes.

It should also be said that the Colt Peacemaker... is actually still in production today! In 1956, Colt resumed production of the second generation Peacemaker revolvers, which continued until 1974. During this time, 73,205 of these revolvers were produced.

In the early 1970s. The US Congress passed a law prohibiting the sale of firearms without special safeties - none of the single-action revolvers of the 19th century met this requirement. Colt made the necessary changes to the design and in 1976 resumed production of the third generation Peacemakers, which continued until 1982. A total of 20,000 pieces were produced during this period. In 1994, production of Peacemakers was resumed again under the name Colt Single Action Army (Colt Cowboy), which continues to this day.

Colt Single Action Army. Modern chrome version with hunting knife included

Weapons have always played an important role in the life of a cowboy. It was needed both for work and to ensure personal safety. In addition, in the conditions of the Wild West, it was sometimes the only means of survival.
At the end of the last century, masters made efforts to improve weapons. Preference here was given to single-barreled guns, but with the ability to fire several shots in a row.
In an era of frequent armed conflicts and wars, a mixture of military and civilian interests very often occurred. Repeating shotguns designed for shooting shotguns appeared in the 90s. XIX century. The American designer Winchester managed to develop an analogue of a pump-action shotgun, which was reloaded by the reciprocating movement of a movable forend.

It is known that screw rifling on the inner surface of the barrel imparts a rotational movement to the bullet, which increases shooting accuracy and lethal force bullets. These are the guns that became widespread in the United States. In the past, when hunting bison and other large animals, slugs were most often used rather than shot. The Americans themselves have earned themselves a reputation as excellent shooters (of course, when, in order to eat, you have to kill some beast. Then you come home, and there are a dozen hungry bandits waiting for you, who are trying to hide your food for their own use) with carbine-type guns. The only drawback was that reloading such a gun took a long time. The process itself is the same as for smooth-bore guns - gunpowder was poured from the muzzle and, using a ramrod and a hammer, the bullet was driven tightly into the rifling.
Initially, such weapons had large caliber- from about 12 mm, therefore strong recoil (large charge) + smoke from black powder, obscuring the view. Lethal force was achieved due to large mass the bullets themselves. The invention of the cartridge caused changes in the carbines themselves. First, single-shot carbines appeared, loading from the breech, then magazine models.
The Americans (Sharpe, Winchester, Henry, Spencer) became the pioneers in this area. Carbines were created, reloading of which was carried out using a special lever located below and also serving as a trigger guard. The cylindrical magazine was placed in the fore-end or in the butt of the weapon. Some of these carbines are still in production and are not much different from the first samples.
The legend of the Wild West, John Wayne, preferred carbines and ammunition from Weatherby.

It just so happened that many people developed small arms in the United States. The same Browning made a homemade gun while still a boy, and then what can we say about adults? And some were expected to succeed, but others were not. But nevertheless, people tried to create something of their own, to improve the work of their predecessors.

So Christian Sharp patented his first gun back in 1849, and its design turned out to be so perfect that they began to produce it almost immediately. First of all, it must be said that it was a rifle with a bolt sliding vertically in the grooves of the receiver, controlled by a lever located below or a “Spencer bracket”.

Sharpe's rifle 1859

The cartridge for it was initially made of paper, and ignition was carried out using a primer. But Sharp designed everything so successfully that its rate of fire increased significantly, and its ease of use increased. Upper part The bolt had a wedge-shaped shape and - after the cartridge was inserted into the barrel and the bolt itself rose up - she cut off the bottom of it, opening the access of hot gases from the primer to the powder charge. The capsule itself was put on the fire tube on the bolt manually. An L-shaped channel ran from it to the barrel, through which gases entered exactly the central part of the barrel.

However, there were also known attempts to automate and speed up this process - in particular, a container for the primer tape was installed on the receiver, which was fed out automatically and placed on the fire tube hole when cocking the hammer. This was, for example, his 1848 carbine, which weighed 3.5 kg and had a caliber of 13.2 mm.

Sharpe's rifle chambered for the 1874 Berdanov cartridge.

In 1882, the company created by Sharp ceased operations, but rifles and carbines of his system remained in people’s hands for a long time and were actively used by them. During the entire production of weapons, Sharp managed to sell 80,512 carbines and 9,141 rifles.

Sharpe's rifle 1863

As soon as unitary cartridges appeared, Sharpe's carbines and rifles were converted to them. Now, when lowered, the bolt opened the charging chamber, into which a unitary metal cartridge was inserted, while the trigger hit its edge, which contained the initiating compound.

Sharpe rifle with faceted barrel.

By 1861, it was the Sharpe rifle that turned out to be the fastest-firing weapon of the cavalry and infantry of the Unionists, that is, the northerners, and was actively used on the battlefields civil war in the USA. In particular, the so-called “United States Marksmen” and snipers were armed with the rifle. The carbine was popular among pioneers and settlers during the era of the conquest of the “Wild West”. Unlike regular Northern infantry regiments, this brigade's soldiers were recruited not from just one state, but throughout the country, and they were the only Northern army unit to wear a dark green uniform.

The main selection criterion was the ability to shoot accurately. The strict rule by which volunteers were selected was: “no person who can hit a target at a distance of 200 yards with 10 consecutive shots without any of these hits being more than 5 inches from the bull’s eye.” , will not be accepted into the ranks of the brigade." “Sharps” were also used to arm other elite shooters of the civil war - snipers.

Sharpe rifle with sniper scope from the war of 1861-1865.

Their weapons were usually equipped with telescopic sights that were the same length as the barrel on which they were mounted. The snipers fired aimed fire, having their main goal enemy officers and generals. They acted on both sides and at the same time they sometimes managed to shoot very “big game”. For example, in the Battle of Gettysburg, a Southern sniper’s bullet killed the commander of the 1st Corps of the Army of the Potomac, General Reynolds.

True, southern snipers used other weapons, namely English Enfield rifles with a Joseph Whitworth drill. However, ordinary soldiers on both sides considered snipers to be professional killers and, again, in both armies they hated them with fierce hatred. One northern soldier wrote, for example, that just the sight of a killed sniper - it doesn’t matter whether he was a Confederate or a Federal, but it was easy to recognize them by telephone sniper scope on a rifle - always brought him great joy.

Samples of popular small arms on the US market after the Civil War - from top to bottom: Sharpe rifle, Remington carbine, Springfield carbine.

Moreover, Sharpe's rifles were distinguished by their long range. It is known that in 1874, it was from Sharpe’s rifle that a certain Bill Dixon hit an Indian warrior from a distance of 1538 yards (about 1406 m), which for that time was a real shooting range record.

The design of the Sharpe rifle, model 1859. The sharp edge of the bolt cut off the back of the cartridge, but protection against gas breakthrough was provided by a rotating platinum ring of a special shape, which, when fired, expanded the gases, so that their breakthrough was excluded.

However, despite the success, in the early 1860s, Sharp closed his company and, entering into a partnership with William Hankins, began to produce both small-caliber four-barreled pistols and, again in demand, breech-loading rifles and carbines. True, in 1866 their partnership broke up, and then Sharpe again founded his own enterprise and continued producing weapons. Interestingly, after his death, the company he created began producing powerful rifles, which were named after him. These included the famous .50 caliber rifle known as the “Big Fifty.”

It was called that because of the .50 caliber. The bullet in this caliber cartridge had a diameter of 13 mm, so you can imagine its destructive power. In the photo there is a “Big Fifty” rifle and its cartridges next to it.

And here is another photo of cartridges for comparison: from left to right - 30-06 Springfield (7.62x63 mm), .45-70 Government (11.6 mm), .50-90 Sharp (12.7x63R) . The muzzle energy of the black powder charge was 2,210-2,691 Joules. In a cartridge with smokeless powder, the muzzle energy of a bullet can reach 3.472-4.053 Joules.

The shooting accuracy and great stopping power of bullets from Sharpe's large-caliber rifles became a legend, and a fatal shot from them could easily be made at a distance of up to 900 meters. Interestingly, their production continued in the 20th century, and since the 1970s, many copies of Sharpe rifles have been made in... Italy.

A modern copy of the Sharp with a diopter sight and a faceted barrel.

Thus, for example, came the Sharp-Borchardt Model 1878, a shotgun designed by Hugo Borchardt and manufactured by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. It was very similar to the older Sharpe rifles, but its design was based on Hugo Borchardt's 1877 patent. This was the last of the Sharp and Borchardt single-shot rifles, but it did not sell very well. According to the company, a total of 22,500 rifles were produced since 1877, and in 1881 the company was already closed. The reason was that it was designed for cartridges with black black powder.

View of the bolt frame on the right.

View of the bolt frame on the left.

Several variants were released: Carbine, Military, Short Range, Medium Range, Long Range, Hunter, Business, Sporting and Express. The Sharpe-Borchard military rifle was manufactured with 32-inch round barrels and was purchased by the Michigan, North Carolina, and Massachusetts militias. Other models were made in various calibers, with faceted barrels, had engravings, etc. The version for hunters was, of course, the most affordable.

"Sharp" with the shutter open. The second trigger with the trigger and the trigger adjustment bolt located between the hooks are clearly visible.

The bolt removed from the frame.

Despite its lack of commercial success, this rifle is admired for its strength and accuracy: it is considered one of the strongest, if not the most powerful weapon ever created before the early 20th century. The gun was revolutionary in its day because it used coil springs rather than flat ones. Extant to this day, these rifles are highly prized by collectors, especially unmodified examples chambered for heavy, large .45 and .50 caliber cartridges.

Today you can buy not only exact copy Sharpe rifle, but also buy it with metal parts engraved personally for you...

Henry rifles with a bracket (Lever Action in English) have gained incredible popularity, only in terms of total circulation they are slightly behind the well-known Kalashnikov. It is noteworthy that, despite its popularity, barrels of this type were never officially in service anywhere, although they survived many military stories. This probably happened because for that time the concept of a pistol cartridge in a weapon with a long barrel turned out to be too innovative, as was the rifle mechanism.

The Mauser S-96 has a similar story. legendary pistol, which was used from the Anglo-Boer War almost until the present day, and was also not officially in service anywhere, although in Russia and Germany it was recommended to officers for independent acquisition.

The rifles that conquered the Wild West

The history of the conquest of the Wild West would not fit into a thin brochure. This is a multi-page book, but its ink was real “iron” - different models weapons that were in the hands of the soldiers. In this article we will learn to distinguish the “main characters” of those events using the example of the description of the Henry rifle.

Where it all began

Among those that marked a final point in the history of the Wild West was “Vulcanic”. Gun of this type itself is very interesting - this is the first rifle with a lever-brace and an under-barrel tubular magazine. Reloading was carried out using a lever similar to the Henry staple, but designed for one finger. Today in gun stores you can come across replicas (copies) of the “Vulcanic” chambered for a unitary cartridge. They are deservedly popular among fans of Wild West weapons.

History and characteristics of the 1860 Henry rifle

The Winchester 70 is one of the first lever-action rifles, which received its baptism of fire on June 25, 1876, during the battle between the Indians and the American army. This collision occurred in Montana near the Little Big Horn.

It was an attempt by the soldiers of the Seventh, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel J. Custer, to clean up the Sioux tribe. However, the enterprising natives expected such a turn of events and managed to prepare well. They gathered all their strength, purchased Henry Winchester rifles, new at that time, and a fair amount of them. If we recall the fact that the Indians were mainly sold only weapons that had lost their relevance - percussion caps or flintlocks, then this time the thirst for profit among the sellers overcame all common sense, and the Sioux people received brand new 38 and 44 caliber repeating rifles. Unheard of carelessness of gun store owners! After all, this weapon was distinguished by an unimaginable rate of fire at that time of 50-60 rounds per minute and a magazine of 10-12 rounds, depending on the length of the barrel and the caliber of the rifle.

The army was armed with high-quality and reliable 45-caliber Springfields and Spencers, accurate, powerful, but with one charge. The rate of fire in them strongly depended on the location of the cartridge belt rather than on the hinged bolt. It was high when mounted on a rifle, but gradually decreased when the shooter switched to a belt bandoleer, falling completely while removing cartridges from pockets and other secluded storage areas. The Henry rifle had only one drawback - a rather weak revolver cartridge. But this could be compensated for by sharply reducing the distance to the enemy, which was used in practice.

Lever-action rifles debut

J. Custer made a reconnaissance and found that there were more Indians than expected, however, he arrogantly decided to carry out the attack. Without waiting for reinforcements, he divided the detachment in half and attacked the Sioux settlement from two sides. The first part was ambushed (if we remember that the Indians had a three or even four times superiority in the rate of fire during close combat, everything falls into place), suffered losses and retreated, but the Indians, not allowing them to break the distance, overtook and completely defeated the squad. The second detachment, not expecting such powerful resistance, immediately dispersed. Another detachment, coming to their aid, completely changed its trajectory when it heard the cannonade standing over the camp.

It was a delightful debut for Henry rifles in the form of the Winchester 70. Of course, it did little to help the Sioux settlement historically, but it definitely made people think about the use of repeating weapons.

Next you can see how gloriously the Henry rifles fought in the First World War in the hands of soldiers Russian army. An order was placed in the United States for several tens of thousands of such rifles chambered for 7.62x54. But, as it turned out, the contract was not fully fulfilled, their number was insufficient, so later they turned into genuine antiques. firearms, which decorated any collection.

Kings of the hunt

However, no one can deny the fact that the main niche of Henry rifles is hunting. Lever weapons on the American continent were an indispensable attribute of travelers and hunters. It was even called the “cowboy weapon” in the Wild West. Since there are no protruding parts on the rifle (bolt handles, magazine, etc.), it can be easily and quickly stored in an oblong case that resembles a knife sheath, and placed in a car, on a horse, attached to a backpack. This weapon is lightweight and constant readiness to shooting. Loading it is very simple: if the cartridge is in the chamber, just cock the hammer, but if not, just one movement of the clamp and you're done!

The first rifles earned their popularity thanks to the successful choice of cartridge. For hunting any game in North America, the revolver analogue was just right; with it you could safely go even to a bison. Moreover, it turned out that it was incredibly convenient to have a rifle and a revolver chambered for a unitary cartridge. Long and happy life lever-action rifle, the brainchild of American designer Benjamin Henry, is explained by its simple and reliable mechanism, tolerance of poor conditions and unpretentiousness.

Having talked about the history of rifles, we can move on to a more detailed acquaintance with weapons with a Henry brace.

WINCHESTER-1886

This is an original Winchester that was produced by the company between 1886 and 1892. It has a powerful faceted barrel designed to use unjacketed lead bullets and black powder. The model is quite old, so it is not surprising that the inscription WINCHESTER, once stamped on the metal, may be worn out from long-term use. Despite the fact that this model is more than 120 years old, all the mechanisms work properly, and the mock-up of the cartridge is thrown out and sent back without any delays! Antique gun enthusiasts are scratching their heads over the clue to the .44 WCF mark.

It is clear that the first letter is the name of the manufacturer (Winchester), but the next two raise doubts about the interpretation. There is an assumption that CF is center fire, that is, central fire. During the creation of the rifle, an active transition from ring-fire cartridges to cartridges with a primer in the center of the case bottom had just begun. They were called center fire. A little later, these letters disappeared, and the cartridge that fits this rifle began to be called 44-40. Indirectly, the letters WCF say that it is better to shoot only cartridges with black powder. The carbine box is open at the top; there is a window on the right for charging, which is closed by a spring-loaded door. The box itself is durable and quite massive, made of a single piece of metal.

Other characteristics

The layout of the store is interesting. It does not have any cartridge interceptors; they are held by the feed tray. It is very reliable and simple design, the only feature of which is the fact that the cartridge must strictly correspond to a certain length so that the feed mechanism does not jam. The shutter of the “cowboy weapon” is classic - reliable and durable locking with two wedges in the rear. The wedges are controlled by the reloading lever; they move down and unlock the bolt during reloading. Then it moves back due to the movement of the staple forward through Then the hammer is cocked, while the cartridge case is extracted and the feed tray with the cartridge is raised. When the reloading lever moves back, the cartridge from the tray is sent into the barrel. Next, when raised, the wedges lock the bolt, the tray is lowered, the magazine opens, in turn, the cartridge from it enters the tray.

Shutter mirror

It is also original. Its entire lower part is moved forward and spring-loaded. It carries two functions. The first is the reflector. During the movement of the bolt back, the constantly spring-loaded sleeve is, as it were, wedged between the chamber and the lower part of the cylinder. As the case leaves the chamber, the deflector, upon release, ejects the case from the case. The advantages here are undeniable: despite the slow opening of the shutter, extraction will always be reliable. The second function is to prevent a shot from being fired when the shutter is not closed. The firing pin simply will not be able to reach the primer while part of the bolt is moved forward. The thoughtfulness and simplicity of the design is simply amazing; it is worth noting that it is the result of a huge amount of work on milling and fitting complex parts. Attention to them can be seen in the following touch: the aiming line is blocked by the released trigger, signaling that you are about to shoot, but the gun is not ready to fire.

MARLIN MOD-1895

This is a very powerful and high-quality rifle. Its dimensions are not much larger than the previous model, but it is quite heavy. The cartridge is powerful, accelerating a 21-gram bullet to 500 m/s. We can safely recommend it for hunting in Russian forests.

Up to a distance of 150 m, it has a flat trajectory, and during zeroing at 100 m, corrections from 0 to 150 m can be neglected. The Marlin box is closed, it has two windows on the right side. The bottom one is for charging and has a door. The upper one is used to extract the cartridge case. The reflector is located in it, and when reloading it is better to vigorously retract the bolt to ensure reliable ejection of the cartridge case. To lock the bolt there is one wedge entering from the bottom. During closing, it supports a part that transmits the shock from the hammer to the firing pin, which ensures that it is impossible to fire with the bolt open. The gun itself is solid, maneuverable and powerful, as experts say. It is considered an excellent option for driven hunts for large and medium-sized animals.

ROSSI-92

It is a pretty good copy of Winchester 92, which was produced by the Brazilian company Puma. To comply with modern standards, a safety lever was added, mounted on the bolt, which also locks the firing pin. The firing pin is completely blocked, although it remains possible to reload, cock the hammer, and even release it without firing. The second improvement is the key that locks the trigger. It just turns, and that’s it - the rifle is completely locked, it is impossible to cock the trigger or open the bolt.

This feature is considered very convenient. And another useful innovation is a coiled mainspring instead of the plate one on the original. It is much more durable and simpler.

HENRY GB

This rifle is from the company that gave its name to the entire line. Many fans of such weapons say with sadness that only 22-caliber weapons are supplied to Russia. Those who purchased a good high-quality model, mark her appearance: yellow box, expensive quality wood, octagonal heavy trunk. The rifle has a classic look and box shape, reminiscent of a Winchester 70. Collectors note the smooth operation of the mechanisms. The shutter movement is so smooth and soft that it feels like it is rolling on rollers.

The rifle box is closed, there is one window on the left for cartridge case extraction. There is a special hole on the magazine for charging. You need to turn the washer and pull the spring tube out of the magazine body, then insert the tube and spring back until it stops. That's it, the weapon is loaded - you can shoot. This type of charging is very convenient for those who prefer recreational shooting.

Conclusions

A common disadvantage of such rifles is disassembly. To carry out this operation, you must have a whole set of slotted screwdrivers available. The passport of the Rossi rifle generally says that if disassembly is necessary, you should contact a gunsmith. This cannot but amaze our people, who are ready to open anything without an additional tool. In general, such weapons are an excellent historical rarity; such rifles can also serve as companion rifles, for example, at a shooting range. Still, it’s a pleasant thing to look at, and not a means of murder.

The Lever Action is not very suitable for hunting; hunters would rather prefer a semi-automatic or bolt-action rifle. But the Henry rifle would happily go on a trip. But who will decide to take such a rare item with them on a risky enterprise is another question.