Jonathan Ferguson of the Royal Armouries explores the history and design of duelling pistols, revealing that many 'duelling' features were simply good pistol design, and the term gained popularity later. He discusses how some pistols incorporated hidden rifling, like 'French rifling,' to provide an unfair accuracy advantage while appearing smooth-bore, contradicting duelling rules. The video highlights a specific cased set of Mortimer & Son percussion pistols from circa 1820-1822.
The Arcelin Mousqueton was an experimental 1850s French bolt-action breechloader designed for cavalry, utilizing paper cartridges and percussion ignition. Despite its innovative design, it suffered from significant fouling issues due to poor gas obturation, leading to difficult operation and potential breakage. The Cent-Gardes variant featured an unusually large saber bayonet intended for anti-cavalry defense.
This review details the SC Robinson copy of the Sharps carbine, a crucial firearm for Confederate cavalry. It highlights the Confederacy's industrial limitations, leading to simplified designs lacking features like the Maynard tape primer. The carbine's falling block action and .52 caliber are discussed, along with its mechanical issues like poor gas seals and potential forend powder accumulation.
The 2nd Model Smith-Jennings Rifle, a direct predecessor to modern lever-action firearms, utilized Walter Hunt's 'rocket ball' ammunition and a separate pellet primer system for ignition. Loading involves gravity-feeding cartridges into a tube magazine, and firing requires cocking the hammer and cycling the lever action to chamber a round and prime the bolt. This historical firearm represents a crucial evolutionary step in self-contained firearm design.
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