#breech loaders

[victoriansword]

Bayonets on muzzle loaders vs breech loading rifles

Looking at bayonets and how they are mounted to rifles and muskets, together with some discussion about the differences and how they were used.

[wctruitt]

Model 1874 metallic cartridge rifle breech construction.

[minutemanworld-blog]

Ferguson rifle dating to the American Revolutionary War. Patrick Ferguson was a British officer during the Revolutionary War who commanded a detachment of light infantry drawn from the 6th and 14th Regiments of Foot. He designed a breech loading rifle that was the earliest breech loading rifle to be used by the British Army. Although the rifle was far more effective than both the Brown Bess musket or any muzzle loading rifle, they were expensive to produce and were regarded as not tough enough for general field use.

After his death at the Battle of King's Mountain, the Ferguson rifle was phased out and not reintroduced. The British Army wouldn't begin to use breech loaders on a regular basis until the mid 19th century. 

The limited production of the Ferguson rifle makes it a rare weapon today. This example is in the National Army Museum.