Lockplate of a Russian M1856/69 & M1858/69 Krnka Dragoon Rifle. Four distinct examples of Russian 6-Line. However, the new design introduced a very English stock profile with a brass nose cap and clamping barrel bands, all of which were certainly a tip of the Russian ushanka (fur cap) to the English Enfield. Like most of the other cartridge alterations to military rifles during the late 1860s and early 1870s, the Krnka was a stop gap solution until a better system could be adopted. The buttplate of the gun is stamped on the bottom with the serial number 57135, which was the original percussion musket serial number. WebThe design of the rifle. The stock shows several grain cracks, including a pair that run through the bottom of the action diagonally, emanating from the triggerguard area, a diagonal crack along the counterpane and a tight grain crack behind the breech tang. above. 2) The nearly identical M1858 Infantry Rifle ( 1858 .) With the breech block out of the way, a fresh cartridge is thumb-pressed into the chamber, the breech block is flipped into its closed position (being latched closed via a spring-loaded detent mounted in the right side of the receiver engaging the right front of the breech block, thus latching but not locking it closed). Operation of the Krnka is similar to the French Tabatire and British Snider. Florida drew 100 on its 1860 allotment and a Georgia adjutant general report dated Feb. 26, 1861 indicated the state had received 1,225 M1855s. In 1866 the Russians began the process on converting these muzzle-loading rifles to breech-loading systems. Photo Credit: M1869 Krnka Dragoon lower barrel band. A diuym had been established as being equal to an English inch by Peter the Great, thus a liniya was 1/10, and six liniya was 6/10 or .60 caliber. Contemporary drawing of the Krnka rifle which also illustrates the Krnka Cartridge's Berdan roots, esp it's Berdan design primer. The gun appears complete and remains mechanically functional. Very quickly thereafter the Russians adopted the M1870 Berdan II bolt action rifle. Available in .58 or .69 calibers and approved by the North-South Skirmish Association (N-SSA). I received the following letter from Mr. Ilija Stanislevik who was kind enough to translate certain Russian inscriptions for me. An interesting feature of the Dragoon rifle which, for obvious reasons is not present on the Infantry and Marksman Krnkas, is that because the barrel was shortened from the donor/parent rifle at the breach, not from the muzzle, the newly threaded shortened barrel would not fit into standard Krnka receivers. This same assembly mating number from the alteration process appears on the top of the buttplate, on the top of the barrel, inside the lock, inside the barrel channel of the stock, on the right side of all three barrel bands, on the long range sight base and on the cleaning rod (ramrod). Extraction was also a weak spot in the design, so the cleaning rod was sometimes used to aid extracting a stuck fired case. WebFive thousand Model 1865 conversions were produced at Springfield, utilizing the older rifle muskets and retaining their .58 caliber. Thank you. The neck of the bayonet has an oval cross-section. Model: 1857 PERCUSSION MUSKET RIFLE. The gun had a rifled barrel and weighed 20.5 kg. WebSouthern states obtained a quantity of M1855 rifle-muskets on their state militia allotments before the war. Is anyone able to help me decipher this cartouche? . The barrel bands were originally from a M1856 musket whose serial number ended with 9286 and the left side of the bands are all stamped with that number, as well as with the bow & arrow logo of the Sestroretsk arsenal where those components and the nose cap were produced. Is it "SESTRORETSKIY ORUZHEYNIY ZAVOD" which means "Sestroretsk Arms Factory"? Most of the conversion to Krnka work was carried out the Ludwig Nobel St. Petersburg Machine-Building Plant from 1869 into the early 1870s, while some work was done producing newly constructed M1869 Krnka rifles at the Izhevsk Arms Plant while the Russians struggled to get production going of the just-adopted Berdan II rifle. Hne Heke (4,389 words) Wright's troops were armed with the new Springfield Model 1855 rifle-musket. While not especially accurate, the fortress rifles were effective at moderately close ranges. Because upwards of 600,000 conversions would have needed to have been undertaken, it is entirely possible that every source mentioned might have participated in conversion work. Fortress gun Ghana arr. This same pattern of rear sight had also been specified when the Russians placed a large order for percussion altered rifled-muskets from Colt during the Crimean War. With the British entry into the war, the Russians soon found out that their conscript infantry was woefully under armed with their large caliber smoothbore percussion and percussion conversion muskets. The original Swiss Federal Rifle pattern rear sight, graduated to 1,200 paces remains in place and is fully functional, and what appears to be the original sling swivels are present on the front bow of the triggerguard and the middle barrel band. As noted the M1856/67 Rifle remains in VERY GOOD condition. Four digits (year 1859) beneath the dash-dot-dash line. It is estimated that some 620,000 or more Krnka conversions of various Russian 6-Line rifles were produced during this period concurrently with the adoption of both the short-lived, limited production M1868 Berdan I and the vastly more widely produced M1870 Berdan II. While collectors often joke about the hard use seen by surviving Confederate long arms by referring to rough condition guns as Confederate Fine , the abuse those guns suffered was nothing compared to the exceptionally poor treatment that a Russian rifle would often receive in the hands of a Czarist-era peasant conscript! M1856/69 Russian Krnka Marksman rifle ( ) Photo Courtesy: The nearly identical M1858 Infantry Rifle, We have been wholly unable to find any photo or drawing of the The M1859 Dragoon Rifle (. It was 72.15 inches long and weighed 1,227 poundsabout 500 pounds less than its bronze predecessor, the Model 1841with a carriage weighing 1,218 pounds. It has no sling swivels but rather ferrule reinforced slots half-way up the forestock and through the buttstock. Housed within the breech block is a very small nipple-shaped firing pin actuated by a much larger inertial striker. Revised February 19, 2000 What was needed was a much simpler to convert system. To further confuse things, the guns were serial numbered on their buttplates when they were originally manufactured, and the Krnka breeches were also serial numbered when they were produced. Quite rare possible Confederate use period copy of the P1853 rifle musket and made by various Spanish armories as well as well known Birmingham makers such as this one is. The heads of various 15.2 Russian Krnka cartridges illustrating their obvious Berdan primer holes and primers. The Russian M1856/67 Krnka offered here is in about VERY GOOD condition, particularly for a 19th century Russian military long arm. During the mid-19th century the Izhevesk arsenal emerged as the premier Russian arms manufactory and by the second half of that century was producing the finest quality arms in the empire. WebFrench Model 1857 Percussion Rifle-Musket Made at Liege. The top of the buttplate and the top of the Krnka breech are marked with the two-headed Russian Eagle along with various other small marks. The basic "trapdoor" design lasted more than 25 years, but many gradual modifications resulted in steady improvement of the weapon. The new rifle replaced the 7-line smooth-bore barrel with a rifled 6-line one. The bore of the rifle remains in VERY GOOD condition as well. While collectors often joke about the hard use seen by surviving Confederate long arms by referring to rough condition guns as Confederate Fine , the abuse those guns suffered was nothing compared to the exceptionally poor treatment that a Russian rifle would often receive in the hands of a Czarist-era peasant conscript! Russian markings and inspectors marks appear multiple places on the receiver as well as on the top flat of the breech block. Web1857 Harpers Ferry Model 1855 Percussion Rifle-Musket 24 1860 Henry Model 1860 Lever-Action Repeating Rifle 25 1860 J.F. WebThe M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Austro-Hungarian arms Even as to Russian produced rifles, the armories also bought locks and other parts from other sources which may account for different markings. WebModel 1853 Enfield rifle musket. If stuck in forward position, the tip of the firing pin prevents the breech block from opening. About its production, packaging and combat distribution to units. In 1856, the Russians adopted their first rifled long arm of reduced bore for general issue to the infantry, the Model 1856 or Six Line Rifle. Flintlock / percussion lock (conversion) Rate of fire. Four systems were considered, those of, Unlike much of Europe (but similarly to the United States) Russia never adopted a repeating black powder cartridge rifle, transitioning directly from the, The Russian conversion to the Krnka breech was a refinement of the M1865/66 Krnka rifle which had just previously been adopted by, Most of the conversion to Krnka work was carried out the Ludwig Nobel St. Petersburg Machine-Building Plant from 1869 into the early 1870s, while some work was done producing, Some authorities have indicated that after 1871 most of the Krnka rifles were converted from 15 mm to the Russian Berdan M1868 caliber, 10.6 x 58 but Hoyem disputes this and it is likely that the references to "converted to 10.6 Berdan" refers to the withdrawal of the Krnkas in favor of the more modern and much more effective, In general, the Krynka system was well developed for its time. These muzzleloaders are authentic, true reproductions. It might be worth investing in some injected glue stabilization at some point to keep the gun from deteriorating in the future. They saw service during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and even saw limited service with reserve troops as late as World War I. This number was only the serial number of the breech assembly. Krnkas system was very simple and is quite similar to both the English Snider and French Tabatire alterations. WebThe M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Czech arms maker, In order to fully understand the Russian Krnka adoption and conversions, it helps to understand the models of the Krnka predecessor/parent rifles. Unlike the Snider and Tabatire, the breech block is not withdrawn to extract the spent case. Two types of bullets were used: lead, to engage infantry in the open, and steel to defeat shelters. 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