The Dreyse needle-gun (German Zündnadelgewehr or figuratively "firing-pin rifle") was a military breechloading rifle, famous as the main infantry weapon of the Prussians, who adopted it for service in 1848 as the Dreyse Zündnadelgewehr, or Prussian Model 1848. Its name comes from its 0.5-inch needle-like firing pin, which passed through the cartridge case to impact a percussion cap at the bullet base. The Dreyse rifle was also the first breech-loading rifle to use the bolt action to open and close the chamber, executed by turning and pulling a bolt handle. Needle gun or needlegun can mean:- Needle gun, a military breechloading rifle, named after its firing pin. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ... Anthem Preußenlied, Heil dir im Siegerkranz (both unofficial) The Kingdom of Prussia at its greatest extent, at the time of the formation of the German Empire, 1871 Capital Berlin Government Monarchy King  - 1701 — 1713 Frederick I (first)  - 1888 — 1918 William II (last) Prime minister  - 1848 Adolf Heinrich von Arnim... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... (for paintball markers also)Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. ... A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ... The firing pin is a very hard steel rod with a one small, rounded end for striking the primer of a cartridge. ... For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ... A breech-loading weapon, usually a gun or cannon, is one where the bullet or shell is inserted, loaded, into the gun at the rear of the barrel, the breech; the opposite of muzzle-loading. ... Anthem Preußenlied, Heil dir im Siegerkranz (both unofficial) The Kingdom of Prussia at its greatest extent, at the time of the formation of the German Empire, 1871 Capital Berlin Government Monarchy King  - 1701 — 1713 Frederick I (first)  - 1888 — 1918 William II (last) Prime minister  - 1848 Adolf Heinrich von Arnim... The firing pin is a very hard steel rod with a one small, rounded end for striking the primer of a cartridge. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The percussion cap or primer was the crucial invention that enabled firearms to fire in any weather. ... This article is about firearms projectiles. ... A bolt-action firearm is one that is manually operated (i. ...

The gun was the invention of the gunsmith Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse (1787—1867), who, beginning in 1824, had conducted multiple experiments, and in 1836 produced the complete needle-gun. Dreyse was ennobled in 1864. Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse (1787 - 1867) was a German firearms inventor and manufacturer born in Sömmerda, Germany, the son of a locksmith. ...

Usage and history

The first types of needle-gun made by Dreyse were muzzle-loading, the novelty lying in the long needle driven by a coiled conchoidal spring which fired the internal percussion cap on the base of the bullet. It was his adoption of the bolt action breechloading principle combined with this igniter system which gave the gun its military potential, allowing the firer to reload in a prone position, and using a one-piece cartridge without a separate cap to be handled under stress.

From 1848 onwards the new weapon was gradually introduced into the Prussian service, then later into the military forces of many other German states. The employment of the needle gun radically changed military tactics in the 19th Century.

The needle gun first made its appearance in street fighting during the May Uprising in Dresden in 1849. It also played an important role in the Second war of Schleswig in 1864. The gun saw its heaviest use in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Because the breech-loader made it possible for a Prussian soldier to fire five (or more) shots, even while lying on the ground, in the time that it took his Austrian counterpart to fire one (and then reload while standing), it was seen as allowing the Prussians to sweep the field. One observer proclaimed, "the needle-gun is king." Combatants Dresden revolutionaries Kingdom of Saxony Commanders Samuel Tzschirner Karl Gotthelf Todt Otto Heubner Alexander Heinze Strength 3,000 5,000 Casualties 200 killed ~1,200 captured 31 killed The May Uprising took place in Dresden, Germany in 1849; it was one of the last of the series of events... Combatants Prussia Austria German Confederation Denmark Commanders Friedrich Graf von Wrangel Christian Julius De Meza replaced by George Daniel Gerlach on February 29 Strength At the outbreak of war: 61,000 158 guns Later reinforcements: 20,000 64 guns[1] 38,000 100+ guns[2] Casualties 1,700+ killed, wounded... Combatants Austria, Saxony, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, Hanover and some minor German States (formerly as the German Confederation) Prussia, Italy, and some minor German States Strength 600,000 Austrians and German allies 500,000 Prussians and German allies 300,000 Italians Casualties 20,000 dead or wounded 37,000 dead... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with South German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III François Achille Bazaine Patrice de Mac-Mahon, duc de Magenta Otto von Bismarck Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Strength 400,000 at wars beginning 1,200,000 Casualties 150,000...

Ammunition

The cartridge used with this rifle consisted of the paper case, the bullet, the priming cap and the black powder charge. The 15.4 mm (0.61 in) bullet was shaped like an acorn, with the broader end forming a point, and the primer attached to its base. The bullet was glued in a paper case known as a Sabot. Between this inner lining and the outer case was the powder charge, consisting of 4.8 g (74 grains) of black powder. The upper end of the paper case was rolled up and bounded together. Before the needle could strike the primer, its point then passed through the powder and hit the primer ahead. The theory behind this placement of the primer is that it would give more complete combustion of the charge. Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ... Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ...

There was also a blank cartridge developed for the needle gun. It was shorter and lighter than the live round, since it lacked the projectile, but was otherwise similar in construction and powder load.

Limitations

In practice the needle-gun proved to have numerous defects; its effective range was very short compared to that of the muzzle-loading rifles of the day, and conspicuously so as against the chassepot. A significant amount of gas escaped at the breech when the rifle was fired, and a paper cartridge was used. An improved model, giving greater muzzle velocity and increased speed in loading, was introduced later, but this was soon replaced by the Mauser rifle. A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the bullet is loaded from the muzzle of the gun (open end of the gun barrel). ... The Chassepot, officially known as Fusil modèle 1866, was a military breechloading rifle, famous as the arm of the French forces in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and 1871. ... A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ... Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ...

After several shots, the breech would fail to close entirely. This caused the gas escaping from the breech to burn the skin of the soldier. As a result, soldiers could not aim accurately without burning themselves and were forced to fire from the hip.

Comparison with contemporary rifles

The only contemporary rifle which it can be compared to is the Norwegian kammerlader - the only other breech loader adopted for service in the 1840's. The Kammerlader, or chamber loader, was the first Norwegian breech loading rifle, and among the very first breech loaders adopted for use by an armed force anywhere in the world. ...

The Kammerlader, or chamber loader, was the first Norwegian breech loading rifle, and among the very first breech loaders adopted for use by an armed force anywhere in the world. ... The Kammerlader, or chamber loader, was the first Norwegian breech loading rifle, and among the very first breech loaders adopted for use by an armed force anywhere in the world. ...

External links

• The Needle-Gun and Cartridge, Chambers's Journal, 18 August 1866
• Cut through drawings of the Needle Gun

References

• Translated article on the Needle Gun, retrieved 30 September 2005

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

Supporters contend that the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1910-1911) represents the sum of human knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century; indeed, it was advertised as such. ...

See also

• M1819 Hall rifle (An earlier breechloader)