Cowboy's firearms agricultural implements. The longest-range rifle of the wild west Where it all began

Henry rifles with a bracket (Lever Action in English) have gained incredible popularity, only in terms of total circulation they are slightly behind the well-known Kalashnikov. It is noteworthy that, despite its popularity, barrels of this type were never officially in service anywhere, although they survived many military stories. This probably happened because for that time the concept of a pistol cartridge in a weapon with a long barrel turned out to be too innovative, as was the rifle mechanism.

The Mauser S-96 has a similar story. legendary pistol, which was used from the Anglo-Boer War almost up to the present day, and was also not officially in service anywhere, although in Russia and Germany it was recommended to officers for independent acquisition.

The rifles that conquered the Wild West

The history of the conquest of the Wild West would not fit into a thin brochure. This is a multi-page book, but its ink was real “iron” - different models of weapons that were in the hands of soldiers. In this article we will learn to distinguish the “main characters” of those events using the example of the description of the Henry rifle.

Where it all began

Among those that marked a final point in the history of the Wild West was “Vulcanic”. This type of pistol is very interesting in itself - it is the first rifle with a lever-brace and an under-barrel tubular magazine. Reloading was carried out using a lever similar to the Henry staple, but designed for one finger. Today in gun stores you can come across replicas (copies) of the “Vulcanic” chambered for a unitary cartridge. They are deservedly popular among fans of Wild West weapons.

History and characteristics of the 1860 Henry rifle

The Winchester 70 is one of the first lever-action rifles, which received its baptism of fire on June 25, 1876, during the battle between the Indians and the American army. This collision occurred in Montana near the Little Big Horn.

It was an attempt by the soldiers of the Seventh, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel J. Custer, to clean up the Sioux tribe. However, the enterprising natives expected such a turn of events and managed to prepare well. They gathered all their strength, purchased Henry Winchester rifles, new at that time, and a fair amount of them. If we remember the fact that the Indians were mainly sold only weapons that had lost their relevance - caps or flintlocks, then this time the thirst for profit among the sellers overcame all common sense, and people from the Sioux tribe received brand new multi-shot rifles of 38 and 44 calibers. Unheard of carelessness of gun store owners! After all, this weapon was distinguished by an unimaginable rate of fire at that time of 50-60 rounds per minute and a magazine of 10-12 rounds, depending on the length of the barrel and the caliber of the rifle.

The army was armed with high-quality and reliable 45-caliber Springfields and Spencers, accurate, powerful, but with one charge. The rate of fire in them strongly depended on the location of the cartridge belt rather than on the hinged bolt. It was high when mounted on a rifle, but gradually decreased when the shooter switched to a belt bandoleer, falling completely while removing cartridges from pockets and other secluded storage areas. The Henry rifle had only one drawback - a rather weak revolver cartridge. But this could be compensated for by sharply reducing the distance to the enemy, which was used in practice.

Lever-action rifles debut

J. Custer made a reconnaissance and found that there were more Indians than expected, however, he arrogantly decided to carry out the attack. Without waiting for reinforcements, he divided the detachment in half and attacked the Sioux settlement from two sides. The first part was ambushed (if we remember that the Indians had a three or even four times superiority in the rate of fire during close combat, everything falls into place), suffered losses and retreated, but the Indians, not allowing them to break the distance, overtook and completely defeated the squad. The second detachment, not expecting such powerful resistance, immediately dispersed. Another detachment, coming to their aid, completely changed its trajectory when it heard the cannonade standing over the camp.

It was a delightful debut for Henry rifles in the form of the Winchester 70. Of course, it did little to help the Sioux settlement historically, but it definitely made people think about the use of repeating weapons.

Next, you can observe how gloriously the Henry rifles fought in the First World War in the hands of soldiers Russian army. An order was placed in the United States for several tens of thousands of such rifles chambered for 7.62x54. But, as it turned out, the contract was not fully fulfilled, their quantity was insufficient, so later they turned into genuine antique firearms that adorned any collection.

Kings of the hunt

However, no one can deny the fact that the main niche of Henry rifles is hunting. Lever weapons on the American continent were an indispensable attribute of travelers and hunters. It was even called the “cowboy weapon” in the Wild West. Since there are no protruding parts on the rifle (bolt handles, magazine, etc.), it can be easily and quickly stored in an oblong case that resembles a knife sheath, and placed in a car, on a horse, attached to a backpack. This weapon is lightweight and constant readiness to shooting. Loading it is very simple: if the cartridge is in the chamber, just cock the hammer, but if not, just one movement of the clamp and you're done!

The first rifles earned their popularity thanks to good choice cartridge. For hunting any game in North America, the revolver analogue was just right; with it you could safely go even to a bison. Moreover, it turned out that it was incredibly convenient to have a rifle and a revolver chambered for a unitary cartridge. Long and happy life lever action rifle- the brainchild of the American designer Benjamin Henry, is explained by its simple and reliable mechanism, tolerance of poor conditions and unpretentiousness.

Having talked about the history of rifles, we can move on to a more detailed acquaintance with weapons with a Henry brace.

WINCHESTER-1886

This is an original Winchester that was produced by the company between 1886 and 1892. It has a powerful faceted barrel designed to use unjacketed lead bullets and black powder. The model is quite old, so it is not surprising that the inscription WINCHESTER, once embossed on the metal, may be worn out from long-term use. Despite the fact that this model is more than 120 years old, all the mechanisms work properly, and the mock-up of the cartridge is thrown out and sent back without any delays! Lovers antique weapons are scratching their heads over the solution to the 44 caliber WCF mark.

It is clear that the first letter is the name of the manufacturer (Winchester), but the next two raise doubts about the interpretation. There is an assumption that CF is center fire, that is, central fire. During the creation of the rifle, an active transition from ring-fire cartridges to cartridges with a primer in the center of the case bottom had just begun. They were called center fire. A little later, these letters disappeared, and the cartridge that fits this rifle began to be called 44-40. Indirectly, the letters WCF say that it is better to shoot only cartridges with black powder. The carbine box is open at the top; there is a window on the right for charging, which is closed by a spring-loaded door. The box itself is durable and quite massive, made of a single piece of metal.

Other characteristics

The layout of the store is interesting. It does not have any cartridge interceptors; they are held by the feed tray. This is a very reliable and simple design, the only feature which is the fact that the cartridge must strictly correspond to a certain length so that the feed mechanism does not jam. The shutter of the “cowboy weapon” is classic - reliable and durable locking with two wedges in the rear. The wedges are controlled by the reloading lever; they move down and unlock the bolt during reloading. Then it moves back due to the movement of the staple forward through Then the hammer is cocked, while the cartridge case is extracted and the feed tray with the cartridge is raised. When the reloading lever moves back, the cartridge from the tray is sent into the barrel. Next, when raised, the wedges lock the bolt, the tray is lowered, the magazine opens, and in turn the cartridge from it enters the tray.

Shutter mirror

It is also original. Its entire lower part is moved forward and spring-loaded. It carries two functions. The first is the reflector. During the movement of the bolt back, the constantly spring-loaded sleeve is, as it were, wedged between the chamber and the lower part of the cylinder. As the case leaves the chamber, the deflector, upon release, ejects the case from the case. The advantages here are undeniable: despite the slow opening of the shutter, extraction will always be reliable. The second function is to prevent a shot from being fired when the shutter is not closed. The firing pin simply will not be able to reach the primer while part of the bolt is moved forward. The thoughtfulness and simplicity of the design is simply amazing; it is worth noting that it is the result of a huge amount of work on milling and fitting complex parts. Attention to them can be seen in the following touch: the aiming line is blocked by the released trigger, signaling that you are about to shoot, but the gun is not ready to fire.

MARLIN MOD-1895

This is a very powerful and high-quality rifle. Its dimensions are not much larger than the previous model, but it is quite heavy. The cartridge is powerful, accelerating a 21-gram bullet to 500 m/s. We can safely recommend it for hunting in Russian forests.

Up to a distance of 150 m, it has a flat trajectory, and during zeroing at 100 m, corrections from 0 to 150 m can be neglected. The Marlin box is closed, it has two windows on the right side. The bottom one is for charging and has a door. The upper one is used to extract the cartridge case. The reflector is located in it, and when reloading it is better to vigorously retract the bolt to ensure reliable ejection of the cartridge case. To lock the bolt there is one wedge entering from the bottom. During closing, it supports a part that transmits the blow from the hammer to the firing pin, which ensures that it is impossible to fire with the bolt open. The gun itself is solid, maneuverable and powerful, as experts say. It is considered an excellent option for driven hunts for large and medium-sized animals.

ROSSI-92

It is a pretty good copy of Winchester 92, which was produced by the Brazilian company Puma. To comply with modern standards, a safety lever was added, mounted on the bolt, which also locks the firing pin. The firing pin is completely blocked, although it remains possible to reload, cock the hammer, and even release it without firing. The second improvement is the key that locks the trigger. It just turns, and that’s it - the rifle is completely locked, it is impossible to cock the trigger or open the bolt.

This feature is considered very convenient. And another useful innovation is a coiled mainspring instead of the plate one on the original. It is much more durable and simpler.

HENRY GB

This rifle is from the company that gave its name to the entire line. Many fans of such weapons say with sadness that only 22-caliber weapons are supplied to Russia. Those who purchased a good quality model note it appearance: yellow box, expensive quality wood, octagonal heavy trunk. The rifle has a classic look and box shape, reminiscent of a Winchester 70. Collectors note the smooth operation of the mechanisms. The shutter movement is so smooth and soft that it feels like it is rolling on rollers.

The rifle box is closed, there is one window on the left for cartridge case extraction. There is a special hole on the magazine for charging. You need to turn the washer and pull the spring tube out of the magazine body, then insert the tube and spring back until it stops. That's it, the weapon is loaded - you can shoot. This type of charging is very convenient for those who prefer recreational shooting.

Conclusions

A common disadvantage of such rifles is disassembly. To carry out this operation, you must have a whole set of slotted screwdrivers available. The passport of the Rossi rifle generally says that if disassembly is necessary, you should contact a gunsmith. This cannot but amaze our people, who are ready to open anything without an additional tool. In general, such weapons are an excellent historical rarity; such rifles can also serve as companion rifles, for example, at a shooting range. Still, it’s a pleasant thing to look at, and not a means of murder.

The Lever Action is not very suitable for hunting; hunters would rather prefer a semi-automatic or bolt-action rifle. But the Henry rifle would happily go on a trip. But who will decide to take such a rare item with them on a risky enterprise is another question.

For most readers, the word "Western" usually brings to mind a Stetson hat, a trusty Mustang, and a nice Colt. In fact, this is how it is: the Western in cinema and literature has long been established as a genre, and each genre, as we know, has its own laws. However, in life everything looks completely different from the pages of a novel or on the screen.

The Wild West era has become an American myth for various reasons. Here we can mention the lack of a “historical tradition” of a new ethnic group formed from representatives of numerous nations, the desire to have their own national heroes, and the already mentioned laws of the genre. But the fact remains that in fact the Wild West during the period of its conquest was not a romantic place at all. All the dregs of society actively flocked here in search of easy money - raiders, murderers, prostitutes, sharpers, swindlers. If we take into account practically complete absence laws in these territories conquered from the Indians, then the phrase becomes clear: “In these places there is only one judge - my six-shooter Colt.”

There were plenty of weapons in the United States at that time: the Civil War between North and South (1861-1865) had just ended. There was also no shortage of people willing to shoot at live targets with almost impunity. And gradually professional shooters appeared - gunfighters, literally “weapon virtuosos.” These people could be both bandits and sheriffs, and sometimes sheriffs and bandits at the same time: the laws in those days were understood in a rather unique way.

In principle, gunfighters can be considered a product of the famous “second amendment”. This clause of the US Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to bear and keep weapons. The life of the “revolver virtuosos” is the very history of the Western United States. But not at all because they in any way contributed to progress - these individuals were simply the subject of blind admiration for the inhabitants of the calm and civilized eastern states. The Wild West still seems full of romance to those who know little or nothing about it. In addition, the lively journalists of that time played a big role, praising in every possible way the “colorfulness” of Western life.

The heyday of the gunfighter era came at the end of the Civil War, which ended around 1900 when law and order finally prevailed in the Western states. Few of the "revolver virtuosos" lived to see this time, but those who were lucky enough to survive were glad to see it.

It was the era of the Wild West that gave birth to such a characteristic US phenomenon as the gun subculture. This concept includes the National Rifle Association, the free sale of guns, and the widespread fascination with guns and shooting, which waned only after the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent restrictions on the gun trade. Living conditions “on the border” forced people of all classes and all professions to constantly carry weapons with them. Even respectable lawyers and bankers preferred to “wear iron,” rightly believing that in practice a revolver could make the difference between a long rich life and a quick violent death.

Among the many dozens of different revolver systems used in the West, the most famous, of course, is the Colt 1873 Peacemaker. This model of caliber .45 (11.43 mm) had a single-action trigger mechanism, i.e. Before each shot, the shooter had to cock the hammer. Even for that time, such a trigger mechanism was an anachronism; many arms companies offered self-cocking revolvers. Nevertheless, it was this model that became the symbol of the Wild West. However, the Colt 1873 also had positive aspects: it was easy to handle, perfectly balanced, and the smooth lines of the body made it easy to instantly grab from a holster. The weapon had an accurate, stable fire, while the powerful .45 caliber cartridge provided the strongest stopping effect of the bullet, which is very important during fire contact at short distances.

Moreover, Peacemaker was very simple weapons- there are only twenty parts in it. To ensure safe carrying in the Colt 1873 revolver, a simple safety half-cock was used.

Until 1896, Colt produced more than 165,000 Model 1873 revolvers with barrels of various lengths. The most original modification among them is the Buntline Special with a 12-inch (305 mm) barrel and an attached butt. “Buntline” is the pseudonym of journalist Edward C. Judson, who became famous for introducing the public to the character of Mad Bill Hickok, and, in addition, once famously uttered the phrase: “God made men great and small, and Sam Colt invented his revolver.” to even the odds." This same Ned Buntline allegedly ordered himself such a miracle revolver for his travels through the Wild West. To be fair, it must be said that the Buntline Special model was produced in quantities of... 18 pieces, and even of those, most owners eventually cut the barrels to normal length.

In addition to Colts, revolvers from Smith & Wesson, Remington, Harrington & Richardson and many others were used in the West.

It is interesting that it was from the era of gunfighters that various ways of carrying short-barreled weapons came. For example, according to legend, the famous shooter Ben Thompson came up with the idea of ​​wearing a revolver in a holster under his arm. Various types of waist holsters, wide “weapon” belts that combined the functions of a belt and bandoleer, patch pockets-holsters in clothes - all this first appeared there, in the Wild West.

The most unusual method of carrying a concealed weapon was used by John Hardin, a former Texas bandit, in recent years life became... a lawyer. He wore a pair Colt revolvers.41 caliber with self-cocking, putting them in his trouser pockets so that the barrels stick up. Witnesses spoke about his training: "Mr. Hardin would place his revolvers in his breeches pockets so that the front sights were sticking out. Then he would pick them up by the front sights, throw them out, grab the handles with lightning speed and pull the triggers so that the triggers sounded in unison." . However, these trainings were not useful to Hardin: police constable John Selman simply shot him from behind.

Westerns in cinema and literature have greatly distorted the very methods of shooting from a revolver.

In particular, most researchers are inclined to believe that so-called fan shooting (when the weapon is pressed to the hip, and the shooter's left hand quickly hits the trigger of the revolver without self-cocking) never existed at all. However, the famous Sheriff Wyatt Earp recalled that Bill Hickok once saw him put all six bullets from his Colt into the letter "O" on a sign from a distance of about a hundred yards. At the same time, he held the revolver in his hand, slightly bent and raised slightly above the waist.

Bat Masterson, one of the most famous gunfighters in the Wild West, who later became no less famous journalist, left something like brief instructions for shooting from a revolver:

"The main thing is to shoot first and never miss. Never try to bluff. Many died with all their entrails because they stupidly tried to scare someone, pretending that they were going to bring their toy into the light of day. Always remember that The six-shooter is made to kill and for nothing else. Therefore, always keep your revolver loaded and ready, but never reach out to it until you are sure that it is absolutely necessary. we're talking about about life and death, that you are really willing to kill.

Many inexperienced shooters take aim while looking along the barrel of a revolver and try to hit the enemy in the head. Never do this! If you need to stop a person, squeeze the handle of the revolver without letting it fidget in your palm, and try to hit the target approximately where the belt buckle is - there the target is widest.

If you're aiming at something, don't raise your hand to eye level; you need to aim instinctively - then your barrel will always point where it needs to be. You must learn to guide the barrel of your revolver with your sixth sense. If you don't develop the instinct to choose the right direction, you will never become a skilled revolver shooter."

Despite the fact that the very image of a gunfighter in the Wild West is usually associated with a single-action revolver, professional shooters of that time did not forget about long-barreled weapons. Single-shot rifles, repeating carbines and double-barreled shotguns were used as widely as revolvers.

The most colorful and recognizable long-barreled weapon of that time was a carbine with an under-barrel magazine, reloaded using a Henry clip. Carbines of this type chambered for a revolving cartridge were produced by Henry, Winchester, Marlin, Savage and others. This weapon was distinguished by its light weight and portability, but its most valuable quality was its high rate of fire. By choosing a carbine in addition to a revolver of the same caliber, the shooter avoided confusion in ammunition. However, some Westerners still armed themselves with carbines with a Henry bracket, having revolvers of a completely different caliber.

For all their positive qualities, lever-action carbines had one significant drawback - the revolver cartridges used in them, despite their high efficiency and fairly high accuracy, had a limited firing range. Therefore, those who wanted to have more long-range weapon, used single-shot rifles. The most popular rifles were Sharps, Remington and Springfield.

The Sharps, the most typical example of this type of weapon, is a Civil War-era breech-loading carbine originally loaded with a paper-cased cartridge and then converted to a .50-70 caliber metal cartridge. Despite their weight and size, these long-range systems, which the Plains Indians called “far-shooting guns,” enjoyed well-deserved respect among marksmen of the era. In 1874, a party of buffalo hunters was attacked in their camp by a detachment of Indians. The siege lasted almost three days. Both the besieged and the Indians were already completely exhausted, but the firefight still continued. Bill Dixon, one of the hunters, saw an Indian clearly visible on the cliff. A shot from the Sharps hit - and the Indian fell from the saddle upside down. Amazed by such accuracy, the Indians soon left. When the distance of the shot was measured, it turned out to be 1538 yards (about 1400 meters). This is a record shot even for a modern sniper.

The Springfield Trapdoor single-shot bolt-action rifles also had many fans. The famous Buffalo Bill Cody, when he was a scout and hunter, never parted with such a .50-70 caliber rifle, which he called " Lucrezia Borgia"He said she was as beautiful as she was deadly.

Double-barreled hunting shotguns were also quite widely used in the Wild West. On short distance The shotgun's efficiency is unparalleled. In addition, the width of the shotsheaf makes the gun an ideal weapon for combat at night, when accurate shooting is impossible. When on August 24, 1896, police officer Heck Thomas killed him with a 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun, famous bandit Bill Doolin, who resisted arrest, had 21 buckshot hits on his body.

Bill Hickok, when he had problems with his eyesight, also did not part with a shotgun, no longer relying on his dexterity and accuracy. The most famous stagecoach robber, Charles Bolton (Black Bart), carried out all his robberies with a double-barreled shotgun, only... not loaded, because he did not want to cause any harm to his victims.

And another legend of the Wild West - Doc Holiday - a shooter, a sharpie and a doctor in one person, was sick with tuberculosis and, not relying on a revolver, carried a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun under his coat.

...The era of gunfighters has sunk into oblivion and passed into the realm of legends. The colorful characters of Bret Harte and O. Henry, who lived in frontier towns such as Dodge City Tombstone, have now become an integral part of American folklore. And only in Hollywood Westerns, which glorified the names of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, can one still see the classic duel of “revolver virtuosos”: two opponents slowly converge on the empty street of a dusty wooden town, hands frozen over the handles of the Colts...

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It just so happened that many people developed small arms in the United States. The same Browning made a homemade gun while still a boy, and then what can we say about adults? And some were expected to succeed, but others were not. But nevertheless, people tried to create something of their own, to improve the work of their predecessors.

So Christian Sharp patented his first gun back in 1849, and its design turned out to be so perfect that they began to produce it almost immediately. First of all, it must be said that this was a rifle with a bolt sliding vertically in the grooves of the receiver, controlled by a lever located below or a “Spencer bracket”.

Sharpe's rifle 1859

The cartridge for it was initially made of paper, and ignition was carried out using a primer. But Sharp designed everything so successfully that its rate of fire increased significantly, and its ease of use increased. The upper part of the bolt was wedge-shaped and - after the cartridge was inserted into the barrel and the bolt itself rose up - it cut off its bottom, opening the access of hot gases from the primer to powder charge. The capsule itself was put on the fire tube on the bolt manually. An L-shaped channel ran from it to the barrel, through which gases entered exactly the central part of the barrel.

However, there were also known attempts to automate and speed up this process - in particular, a container for the primer tape was installed on the receiver, which was fed out automatically and placed on the fire tube hole when cocking the hammer. This was, for example, his 1848 carbine, which weighed 3.5 kg and had a caliber of 13.2 mm.

Sharpe's rifle chambered for the 1874 Berdanov cartridge.

In 1882, the company created by Sharp ceased operations, but rifles and carbines of his system then remained in people’s hands for a long time and were actively used by them. During the entire production of weapons, Sharp managed to sell 80,512 carbines and 9,141 rifles.

Sharpe's rifle 1863

As soon as unitary cartridges appeared, Sharpe's carbines and rifles were converted to them. Now, when lowered, the bolt opened the charging chamber, into which a unitary metal cartridge was inserted, while the trigger hit its edge, which contained the initiating compound.

Sharpe rifle with faceted barrel.

By 1861, it was the Sharpe rifle that turned out to be the fastest-firing weapon of the cavalry and infantry of the Unionists, that is, the northerners, and was actively used on the battlefields of the American Civil War. In particular, the so-called “United States Marksmen” and snipers were armed with the rifle. The carbine was popular among pioneers and settlers during the era of the conquest of the “Wild West”. Unlike regular Northern infantry regiments, this brigade's soldiers were recruited not from just one state, but throughout the country, and they were the only Northern army unit to wear a dark green uniform.

The main selection criterion was the ability to shoot accurately. The strict rule by which volunteers were selected was: “no person who can hit a target at a distance of 200 yards with 10 consecutive shots without any of these hits being more than 5 inches from the bull’s eye.” , will not be accepted into the ranks of the brigade." “Sharps” were also used to arm other elite shooters of the civil war - snipers.

Sharpe rifle with sniper scope from the war of 1861-1865.

Their weapons were usually equipped with telescopic sights that were the same length as the barrel on which they were mounted. The snipers conducted aimed fire, with enemy officers and generals as their main targets. They acted on both sides and at the same time they sometimes managed to shoot very “big game”. For example, in the Battle of Gettysburg, a Southern sniper’s bullet killed the commander of the 1st Corps of the Army of the Potomac, General Reynolds.

True, southern snipers used other weapons, namely English Enfield rifles with a Joseph Whitworth drill. However, ordinary soldiers on both sides considered snipers to be professional killers and, again, in both armies they hated them with fierce hatred. One northern soldier wrote, for example, that just the sight of a killed sniper - no matter whether he was a Confederate or a Federal, and it was easy to recognize them by the tube of a sniper scope on a rifle - always caused him great joy.

Samples of popular small arms on the US market after the Civil War - from top to bottom: Sharpe rifle, Remington carbine, Springfield carbine.

Moreover, Sharpe’s rifles were distinguished by their long range. It is known that in 1874, it was from Sharpe’s rifle that a certain Bill Dixon hit an Indian warrior from a distance of 1538 yards (about 1406 m), which for that time was a real shooting range record.

The design of the Sharpe rifle, model 1859. The sharp edge of the bolt cut off the back of the cartridge, but protection against gas breakthrough was provided by a rotating platinum ring of a special shape, which, when fired, expanded the gases, so that their breakthrough outward was excluded.

However, despite the success, in the early 1860s, Sharp closed his company and, entering into a partnership with William Hankins, began to produce both small-caliber four-barreled pistols and, again in demand, breech-loading rifles and carbines. True, in 1866 their partnership broke up, and then Sharp again founded his own enterprise and continued the production of weapons. Interestingly, after his death, the company he created began producing powerful rifles, which were named after him. These included the famous .50 caliber rifle known as the “Big Fifty.”

It was called that because of the .50 caliber. The bullet in this caliber cartridge had a diameter of 13 mm, so you can imagine its destructive power. In the photo there is a “Big Fifty” rifle and its cartridges next to it.

And here is another photo of cartridges for comparison: from left to right - 30-06 Springfield (7.62x63 mm), .45-70 Government (11.6 mm), .50-90 Sharp (12.7x63R) . The muzzle energy of the black powder charge was 2,210-2,691 Joules. In a cartridge with smokeless powder, the muzzle energy of a bullet can reach 3.472-4.053 Joules.

Firing accuracy and great stopping power of bullets large caliber rifles Sharp guns became a legend, and a fatal shot from them could easily be fired at a distance of up to 900 meters. Interestingly, their production continued in the 20th century, and since the 1970s, many copies of Sharpe rifles were made in... Italy.

A modern copy of the Sharpe with a diopter sight and a faceted barrel.

Thus, for example, came the Sharp-Borchardt Model 1878, a shotgun designed by Hugo Borchardt and manufactured by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. It was very similar to the older Sharpe rifles, but its design was based on Hugo Borchardt's 1877 patent. This was the last of the Sharp and Borchardt single-shot rifles, but it did not sell very well. According to the company, a total of 22,500 rifles were produced since 1877, and the company was already closed in 1881. The reason was that it was designed for cartridges with black black powder.

View of the bolt frame on the right.

View of the bolt frame on the left.

Several variants were released: Carbine, Military, Short Range, Medium Range, Long Range, Hunter, Business, Sporting and Express. The Sharpe-Borchard military rifle was manufactured with 32-inch round barrels and was purchased by the Michigan, North Carolina, and Massachusetts militias. Other models were made in various calibers, with faceted barrels, had engravings, etc. The version for hunters was, of course, the most affordable.

"Sharp" with the shutter open. The second trigger with the trigger and the trigger adjustment bolt located between the hooks are clearly visible.

The bolt removed from the frame.

Despite the lack of commercial success, this rifle is admired for its strength and accuracy: it is considered one of the strongest, if not the most looking strong weapons ever created before the beginning of the 20th century. The gun was revolutionary in its day because it used coil springs rather than flat ones. Extant to this day, these rifles are highly prized by collectors, especially unmodified examples chambered for heavy, large .45 and .50 caliber cartridges.

Today you can buy not only exact copy Sharpe rifle, but also buy it with metal parts engraved personally for you...

The Confederate States of America had very modest capabilities during the American Civil War, 1861-1865. They were inhabited by less than five million people, a third of whom were black. There was almost no industry, and due to the shortage of raw materials for the production of weapons, even household utensils had to be melted down. True, at the same time, the Confederation managed to build battleships and even the world's first operational combat submarine. But still, in the war with the industrialized, 20 million-strong North, it initially had no chance.

“Whoa-who-ey! Who-ye!”

As for more serious weapons, the Confederate partisans preferred the usual hunting double-barreled shotguns, which they took with them from home. And two barrels are better than one, loaded from the muzzle - and these were the rifles that prevailed in the army of the South, which experienced a great shortage of new breech-loading models. Subsequently, a double-barreled shotgun with shortened barrels became the most common weapon in countless “showdowns” and robberies in the Wild West. Severe representatives of the law also willingly used it, which is why this sawn-off shotgun was called the “sheriff’s gun.”

Northerners had a wider choice more modern weapons, including those chambered for unitary cartridges, among which we should highlight the Henry rifle, which appeared in 1860 with an under-barrel tubular magazine for 15 rounds and a convenient quick reloading mechanism, which became the ancestor of the famous “Winchester”. Southerners nicknamed it the “damn Yankee rifle,” gloomily saying that it “loads on Sunday and then fires all week.”

From patriots to robbers

After graduation Civil War many Confederate officers and soldiers were forced to migrate from their war-ravaged homelands to the West - in search of better life. White man and before he had slowly infiltrated these lands, either trading or fighting with the Indians; but massive expansion began precisely after the war. The northerners who had left the army also headed there, along with the streams of settlers. Many of them tried to become farmers or artisans again, but there were also those who realized that of all the crafts they were best at shooting. This is how gunfighters appeared - professional shooters who made a living by pulling the trigger. Depending on the circumstances and personal character, a gunfighter could become a bandit, a sheriff, or simply a free shooter working on one-time orders. And some managed to combine all these functions.

Experienced gunfighters had something like a “code of honor” - quite conventional, since cunning, and often meanness, helped them in their “work” no less than mastery of the Colt. They more strictly adhered to their professional rules, thanks to which they survived - for example, never sit with their backs to doors or windows. A gunfighter was accepted with open arms to work both as a law enforcement officer and as a member of any gang. Often they themselves assembled detachments with which they committed robberies or terrorized towns. But the first large and most famous gangs were the remnants flying squads Confederations, which continued their daring raids even after the end of the war.

One of them is the gang of Jesse Woodson James (1847-1882). His mentors were William Anderson himself, nicknamed Bloody Bill, and the former rural teacher William Quantrill, the commander of the “wild”, subordinate to no one partisan detachment Southerner, known for his saying “a good Yankee is a dead Yankee.” 16-year-old Jesse joined this detachment, having gained enormous specific experience there. This young man learned nothing more. Therefore, in 1865, together with his brother Jesse, he organized his own gang, which included several other former Confederate partisans, and began his own war - against federal banks and the post office. His gang has robbed eleven banks, seven trains, three stagecoaches and tens of thousands of dollars in loot (more dollars!). The bandits very quickly exchanged dusty farm robes for ironed suits. Such successes of Jesse's gang, of course, gave rise to legends that the boys told each other with delight - and some of them later abandoned their father's plow to become a dashing robber. And not only boys—women often became members of gangs as well.

But more often, more prosaic reasons forced the bandit to exchange honest work for luck. For example, the ongoing war between the “meat barons” (large livestock breeders) for territory, as well as conflicts between them and small farmers. And those who did not know how or did not want to raise their own livestock began to steal someone else’s - on their own or by organizing themselves into gangs. In such conditions, in addition to the whip and lasso, the cowboy shepherds had to carry a loaded Colt with them.

However, the servants of the law in the Wild West were sometimes worse than any bandits. For example, Isaac Parker from Oklahoma (Judje Isaac Parker, 1838-1896), who went down in history as the “hanging judge,” believed that building a prison was much more troublesome and expensive than building a scaffold. Therefore, he passed only one sentence, sending one and a half hundred people to the gallows over 20 years.

“Lubricate both Colts properly,
"Lubricate the Winchester properly..."

The 70-80s of the 19th century saw its heyday classical period Wild West. Bandits and hunting sheriffs and rangers, fighting cattlemen, defending farmers, prospectors and townspeople, numerous Indian uprisings - and the United States cavalry chasing them. And just then two of his legends appeared in the Wild West: the Colt Peacemaker revolver and the Winchester rifle.

The Colt M1873 Single Action Army revolver appeared in 1873 and first entered service with the US cavalry. For the civilian market, revolvers were mainly produced with a barrel shortened from 191 to 120 mm, although real giants were also produced, with a barrel length reaching 300 mm! It should be noted that such long-barreled revolvers in the United States have long been used as hunting weapons. The drum was loaded with six powerful 45-caliber (11.43 mm) centerfire cartridges, but sometimes one slot under the trigger was left empty as an improvised safety (so that the revolver would not fire during a jump or when falling to the ground). Although reloading was carried out one cartridge at a time (and before that, the spent cartridges had to be removed one at a time), and the hammer still had to be cocked before each shot, its average rate of fire was still higher than that of older capsule models. And it was no longer difficult to purchase cartridges in shops that appeared everywhere. Therefore, where the Colt M1873 thundered, the battles ended quickly, and there were fewer survivors - which is why the revolver was given the witty nickname “Peacemaker”.

Meanwhile, rapid-fire Winchester rifles of the 1866 and 1873 models were spreading throughout the western states. The designers eliminated the disadvantage of their predecessor, the Henry rifle, the magazine of which had to be unscrewed before loading, with a convenient charging window. In capable hands, the Winchester fired a shot per second, remaining the fastest-firing rifle until the advent of self-loading systems.

With a “peacekeeper” in a holster and a “Winchester” at the ready, the sheriffs and rangers gradually established the rule of law, shooting down the most restless ones and forcing the rest to be tied up. So the West gradually ceased to be Wild...

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Weapons have always played an important role in the life of a cowboy. It was needed both for work and to ensure personal safety. In addition, in the conditions of the Wild West, it was sometimes the only means of survival.
At the end of the last century, masters made efforts to improve weapons. Preference here was given to single-barreled guns, but with the ability to fire several shots in a row.
In an era of frequent armed conflicts and wars, a mixture of military and civilian interests very often occurred. Repeating shotguns designed for shooting shotguns appeared in the 90s. XIX century. The American designer Winchester managed to develop an analogue of a pump-action shotgun, which was reloaded by the reciprocating movement of a movable forend.

It is known that screw rifling on the inner surface of the barrel imparts a rotational movement to the bullet, which increases shooting accuracy and the destructive power of the bullet. These are the guns that became widespread in the United States. In the past, when hunting bison and other large animals, slugs were most often used rather than shot. The Americans themselves have earned themselves a reputation as excellent shooters (of course, when, in order to eat, you have to kill some beast. Then you come home, and there are a dozen hungry bandits waiting for you, who strive to hide your food for their own use) with carbine-type guns. The only drawback was that reloading such a gun took a long time. The process itself is the same as for smooth-bore guns - gunpowder was poured from the muzzle and, using a ramrod and a hammer, the bullet was driven tightly into the rifling.
Initially, such weapons had large caliber- from about 12 mm, therefore strong recoil (large charge) + smoke from black powder, obscuring the view. Lethal force was achieved due to the large mass of the bullets themselves. The invention of the cartridge caused changes in the carbines themselves. First, single-shot carbines appeared, loading from the breech, then magazine models.
The Americans (Sharpe, Winchester, Henry, Spencer) became the pioneers in this area. Carbines were created, the reloading of which was carried out using a special lever located below and also serving as a trigger guard. The cylindrical magazine was placed in the fore-end or in the butt of the weapon. Some of these carbines are still in production and are not much different from the first samples.
The legend of the Wild West, John Wayne, preferred carbines and ammunition from Wetherby.