Among the wide variety of models of small arms firearms, a special place is occupied by the American Army Peabody-Martini rifle. It was produced from 1869 to 1871 specifically for the needs of the US Army and some European countries. In addition, the Peabody-Martini rifle was in great demand among private individuals. The hunters replaced the large-caliber fitting with this model of small arms. Description, device and technical characteristics of the Peabody-Martini rifle (sample 1869) are presented in the article.
History
During the operation of army rifles, only the infantry did not have difficulties in loading them through the muzzle. For this, it was enough for the shooter to put the weapon in a vertical position, pour a certain amount of gunpowder into the muzzle, drive a wad, a bullet. Then zapyzhevat again so that the ammunition does not roll out of the barrel back. Problems were observed with horsemen, as well as infantrymen who were forced to load their rifles in a prone position. The weapon designer Christian Sharps managed to correct the situation, who in 1851 developed forrifles sliding in the grooves of a vertical wedge. After opening, the breech of the weapon was supplied with a paper cartridge, and locked with a bolt, which was raised with a special lever. Their connection was provided by a drive. These systems were characterized by high reliability and accuracy.
In 1862, the American weapons designer Henry Peabody patented his lever and trigger guard for a rifle.
System device
The movable shutter was mounted higher above the center line of the barrel channel. In order to lower the front of the bolt down, the arrow had to move the bracket down and forward. In this case, the breech was opened to remove the spent cartridge case from the barrel. After these actions, new ammunition was inserted into the breech, and the weapon was again ready to fire.
Thanks to the conveniently located safety lever and the complete absence of other protruding parts on the receiver, this system has been approved in the US and Europe.
Swiss revisions
Henry Peabody's rifle system was improved by the Swiss engineer Frederick von Martini. In his opinion, a serious drawback of the rifle was the presence of an external trigger, which was cocked separately. The Swiss engineer included it in a single mechanism, which was still controlled by a lever located behind the trigger guard. The trigger as a spring-loaded striker was placed inside the bolt. The modified system was liked by the British military command, and in 1871 the Peabody-Martini rifle was adopted.into service.
Description
The Peabody-Martini rifle is a single-shot military small-arms weapon with a round barrel screwed into the receiver. It was attached to the forearm with the help of two sliding barrel rings. In order to prevent their displacement, the rifle was equipped with transverse steel pins with a round section. Trihedral bayonets with fullers were mounted on the muzzles of Peabody-Martini rifles arr. 1869 (Photo of bayonets is presented below). Similar products were used in the Russian Imperial Army.
In the manufacture of the stock, American walnut was used as a material. The forearm was equipped through a longitudinal groove with a steel ramrod. A long and very strong pinch screw was used to connect the receiver to the butt. Its head was closed with a steel cast butt plate with diamond-shaped notches. The butt plate itself was mounted on the butt with two screws. Wanting to increase the sensitivity of the index finger, the gunsmiths applied special notches to the triggers. Swivels 45 mm wide were screwed into the butt of a rifle. The place for the front swivel was the front steel mounting ring, and for the additional one - the front part on the trigger guard.
In order to prevent the thumb from slipping on the receiver, a special oval-shaped medallion was developed for it. A photo of the Peabody-Martini rifle is presented in the article.
Shutter
We continue to study weapons. The Peabody-Martini rifle (Mod. 1869) was equipped with a swinging bolt. opened andit was closed with the help of the lower lever. The shutter cocked the drummer. The ejector was responsible for extracting the spent cartridges from the rifle. The rifle device was not provided for free play. The weapon featured a soft trigger.
How was the rifle loaded?
In order to load, the shooter had to:
- Open the breech of the rifle. This was done by means of a lever connected by a drive to the shutter.
- Put the ammo in the barrel.
- Close the shutter while holding the trigger.
- Perform an instant platoon. To do this, it was only necessary to distort the cocking lever.
After the shot was fired, the lever was lowered and the spent cartridge case was extracted.
Sights
Step-frame open sights and front sights with a triangular section were developed for rifles. Shooting at short distances was carried out using wide saddle-shaped pillars. An infantryman could carry out aimed shooting at long distances using a mobile collar containing a small triangular slit.
Ammunition
For rifles, various types of cartridges were used in brass seamless sleeves designed by E. Boxer. For rifles, ammunition using black powder was intended. The sleeves were bottle-shaped. The length of the cartridge did not exceed 79.25 mm. The powder charge weighed 5.18 g. Peabody rifles firedMartini shellless bullets with rounded heads. Since their diameter was smaller than the diameter of the bore, in order to improve their obturation, the bullets were wrapped in white oiled paper.
To reduce friction and protect barrel rifling from lead, seals were used when wrapping. Thus, during the shot, an increase in the volume of the bullet and indentation of paper into the barrel rifling was observed. The best ammunition for these rifles was considered to be the Peabody-Martini-45 cartridges produced at that time in the USA. Compared to European ones, their range and accuracy of combat were much higher.
TTX rifles Peabody-Martini
- Weapon Type - Rifle.
- Produced in the USA.
- The rifle was adopted in 1871.
- Caliber - 11.43 mm.
- Total length - 125 cm.
- Barrel length - 84 cm.
- Cramrod length - 806 mm.
- Without a bayonet, the rifle weighs 3800 grams.
- Number of barrel rifling - 7.
- Rate of fire - 10 rounds per minute.
- The rifle was used for effective shooting at distances up to 1183 meters.
Application
This small arms was used during the Bosnian-Herzegovina uprising, in the Balkan war, in two Greco-Turkish wars, in the Russian-Turkish and World War I. Rifles for a long time were in service with England, the USA and Romania. Also used in 1870. Peabody-Martini rifles Turkey.
New model for the Ottoman Empire
Because the Turkish army was short of ammunition for the Peabody Martini, in 1908 it was converted to fire Mauser ammunition (caliber 7.65 mm). So a new model of small arms breech-loading weapons appeared - the Martini-Mauser of the 1908 model. The cases of new ammunition were filled with smokeless powder, which led to an increase in their power. After firing a hundred or two shots, the increased power was already perceived as a disadvantage: the receivers could not withstand the load and quickly became unusable.
Modifications
In the British Empire, gun designers based on the Peabody locking mechanism and the trigger, improved by the Swiss engineer Martini, created new modifications of rifles equipped with Henry barrels with polygonal rifling. The weapon was named Martini-Henry Mark (Mk). Rifles were presented in four series:
- MkI. The weapon was equipped with a more advanced trigger and a new ramrod.
- Mk II. In this series, a different design was developed for the rear sight.
- Mk III. Rifles were equipped with improved sights and pointers for cocking triggers.
- Mk IV. These models were equipped with extended reload levers, new stocks and ramrods. In addition, the Mk IV features a modified receiver shape.
In all four series, weapons designers managed to increase the rate of fire of rifles to forty rounds per minute. The new modification was easy totreatment, which was loved by the English foot soldiers.
The total number of manufactured Martini-Henry Mk rifles is about a million units.
Based on the Peabody Martini, cavalry carbines were created. Unlike standard rifles, the weight and length of the carbines were less. In this regard, during the shooting, they noted increased recoil. Because of this, the carbines were deemed unsuitable for the use of basic rifle ammunition. When shooting from carbines, cartridges were used that were equipped with bullets with a smaller weight and size.
To distinguish carbine ammunition from rifle ammunition, bullets of lightweight cartridges were wrapped in red paper.
Japanese model
The system, operating on the principle of a rolling bolt, has attracted many followers with its simplicity and reliability.
In 1905, Japan developed its own breech-loading rifle using a sliding rotary bolt. In the history of small arms, this model is known as Arisaka.
Since it is very important for infantrymen to have a full-fledged knife at hand during a battle or when setting up a camp, Japanese developers have equipped the muzzle parts of rifles with needle bayonets. In the manufacture of this edged weapon, high-quality steel was used. Due to its high performance, American infantrymen also used these knives. Like the Peabody Martini rifles, Arisaka rifles have served humanity in many wars.
In conclusion
Lightweight, comfortable, without unnecessary protruding parts, Peabody-Martini rifles were distinguished by high lethal force. At one time, they were used by military personnel as an effective weapon for killing. And after being decommissioned, the English scouts used them as training models.
