doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com An interesting rifle.

I was privileged to shoot this rifle today. It belongs to my shooting partner. Easily the coolest bolt rifle I have ever seen.

I thought some of you might find it interesting as well but I think I will let folks puzzle over it a bit before I identify it. It is rather rare and the condition is excellent.

Ward-Burton?

I've never really looked at them before. Rear locking lugs/threads? Interesting. The stock design and buttplate are very American.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-ward-burton-rifle-america-s-first-military-bolt-action/

On the one hand, it's wild to think our first military bolt gun was in 1871. On the other, the Swiss Vetterli of 1869 and updated as the 69/71 was also a bolt gun, but also a repeater, with 12 rounds of 41 cal fun in the tube below the barrel. Of course, the Swiss ripped off Winchester's cartridge lifter mechanism and only didn't sued by Winchester because they didn't recognize foreign patents. So the repeating part of that rifle owes credit to a US design of 1866.

Exactly right. Aka the Springfield 1871. It is a 50-70. Less than 1000 were made, I believe. They were trialed against the trapdoor, and it is difficult to see how they lost. They are far superior to that rifle. Incredibly simple guns, and a joy to handle and shoot.

I assume you're talking about brass or copper, cartridge firing, bolt action rifles? The Dreyse Needle rifle was developed in 1836 but it was paper cartridges.

I think they lost because the trials were to find a way to convert the Springfield Mod 1863/65 to fire cartridges and the Springfield employee Allin's conversion used the existing lock, stock, and barrel (modified to fit the breechblock). It was therefore cheaper. I thought the Springfield mod. 1871 was a version of the Remington rolling block.
Mike

Yes, the muzzleloader modification occurred to me. But the 71 WB is so much better. It does make me wonder if there was more to the back story.

Maybe the Ward Burton was better, but not with the ammo they had then, apparently it was problematic in the Allin conversion.

I do not see how the WB could be worse than the trapdoor with that ammo, so that might be a wash at worst.
Also, all '71s had solid 1-piece steel wiping rods that would have been ideal for knocking out stuck cases.

What am I missing?

Perceived fiscal thrift in using old Springfield musket parts, is my guess.

I did a little research, apparently it wasn't ammo. Rifles were sent out to troops to use for a year or whatever, apparently the troops didn't care for them, and there were too many accidental discharges, the doggoned things didn't have hammers.