Videos tagged with 1860s Firearms

This video showcases a genuine circa 1860s Sharps Buffalo Rifle, originally a breech-loading black powder firearm converted to metallic cartridges. Now chambered in .45-90, it's being prepared for a period-appropriate Malcolm-style scope for long-range shooting. Despite re-barreling impacting collector value, it remains a significant piece of American West history.

This YouTube video, part of the "Enjoying Black Powder" series, focuses on the 1871 Beaumont rifle. The description highlights the appeal of black powder military rifles from the 1860s-1880s, noting their reasonable price and ease of reloading. The video promises to demonstrate how to handload ammunition for these firearms, making them accessible for enthusiasts. It features the host and a friend at the range, comparing how different models handle and providing practical reloading instructions. The series aims to make black powder rifle ownership and operation enjoyable.

This review of the Berdan II, Russia's first mass-produced metallic cartridge black powder rifle, highlights its robust but ergonomically challenging bolt-action design. Despite its historical significance, the rifle features a heavy trigger pull and a short bolt throw, compounded by challenges in finding correct ammunition, often requiring custom reloading. While functional, it's noted as one of the least user-friendly black powder bolt actions tested.

This video demonstrates the historical loading process for a Civil War era 1860 Colt Army revolver using conicals. It details a 30-grain charge of 7ffg black powder and a 210-217 grain Johnston & Dow conical projectile, noting its effectiveness comparable to later .44 Colt cartridges. The process emphasizes proper seating of the bullet using the integrated ramrod.

This video examines Major Fosbery's prototype breechloading rifle, a contender in the late 1860s British military trials. The design featured a unique vertical flip-block action with an external hammer for cocking and status indication. Despite its innovative mechanism, it placed sixth, with the Martini-Henry ultimately being selected.

This review covers the Chiappa reproduction of the 1860 Spencer Carbine, chambered in .45 Colt. It highlights the rifle's historical significance, its role in the Civil War, and its technological advancements over muzzle-loading muskets. The video demonstrates the unique manual cocking mechanism, loading process via the buttstock magazine, and compares its rate of fire to contemporary firearms, concluding it was a revolutionary design for its era.

This review explores the Taylor's & Company 1851 Navy Cartridge Conversion, a Richards-Mason style firearm that allows a historical frame to fire modern .38 Special cartridges. The video highlights the significant advantage in reloading speed over original percussion revolvers and discusses the historical context of post-Civil War cartridge conversions, explaining why they persisted despite the introduction of the Colt Single Action Army.