Welcome to right this moment’s Photo of the Day! That is an instance of a needle-fire conversion of a French Mannequin 1822 percussion musket, possible carried out in Paris within the early 1870s primarily based on a patent by L. Merckelbagh. The unique muzzle-loading rifle has been modified with a hinged bolt motion and needle-fire mechanism. The conversion includes a spring-loaded firing pin that protrudes by the breech to strike a paper cartridge primer when the set off is pulled. Little or no is understood about Merckelbagh or the industrial success of this conversion system. These conversions appear to have been a restricted try and modernize older muskets however didn’t see widespread adoption, with the metallic-cartridge bolt-actions changing into the dominant know-how by the 1870s.
“Manufactured utilizing a Belgian made percussion musket as the premise, this arm has been transformed right into a single shot bolt motion rifle via a system developed by L. Merckelbagh; data on Merckelbagh and his design are scarce, although his work is believed to be a counterpart to the American Allin “trapdoor” system and the Snider conversion, a method of taking then-obsolete muzzle loading muskets and rifles and giving them new lease of life as breechloading arms. Some data means that rifles on this fashion might have been acquired by the French in the course of the Franco-Prussian Warfare, as a complement to their Chassepot and Tabatiere rifles. A big opening has been made on the rear of the barrel to accommodate a bolt meeting and a switch bar arrange positioned much like the unique percussion nipple, in order to be struck by the percussion hammer. “
Lot 414: Merckelbagh/Bertrand Conversion Single Shot Needle Hearth Rifle – Extraordinarily Uncommon Merckelbagh/Bertrand Prototype Breech Loading Conversion Needle Hearth Service Rifle. (n.d.-b). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/76/414/merckelbaghbertrand-conversion-single-shot-needle-fire-rifle.
The publish POTD: A Rare Musket Conversion – The French Merckelbagh Needle Fire appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.
