![]() The French navy planned to take advantage of the guns’ capabilities by placing them with sailors in crow’s nests (Babies dans les hunes) so as to lay rapid fire down on the decks of enemy ships. A report praised the Model 1866’s ability to fire quickly. ![]() Rifle trials were conducted on the French frigate Semiramis in 1868. ![]() The Civil War was observed by most European nations, but France and the Ottoman Empire took particular note of the Henry, and its successor, the Winchester Model 1866.įrance was so impressed that its navy considered adopting the Winchester Model 1866. Often, warfare was observed and evaluated by officers from non-combatant nations who would then take note of the strategies and equipment used. The French soldier posing (l.) in 1917 with his Winchester Model 1894 likely was attached to an air squadron operating in Flanders. The Model 1860 Henry was state-of-the-art technology-possessing rapid fire capability and generous magazine capacity-when used by Union soldiers during the American Civil War.Īfter the outbreak of World War I, Winchester received a contract to build 15,100 Model 1894 carbines for the French military (above). The first lever-action to bear the Winchester name, the Model 1866, was an improved version of the Henry rifle. Ultimately, Winchester would turn to arms designer John M. That became a limiting factor as cartridges, particularly military rifle cartridges, became more powerful during the 1870s. Although durable and dependable, the toggle bolt could not handle loads more powerful than handgun cartridges. The earlier Winchester lever-actions (the Models 1866, 18) shared the Henry rifle’s toggle bolt system but offered Nelson King’s patented loading gate on the receiver’s right. And they proved effective combat arms from the American Civil War through World War I, despite the fact that they were never awarded a large U.S. What is not generally known is that Winchester lever-actions were, in their day, cutting-edge military rifles. Even to the most disinterested, the Winchester lever-action’s very profile is recognizable, making it a true icon of the American West.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |