VERY INTERESTING: THE LONGEST SERVING RIFLE

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 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Berdan rifle




Specifications

  • Mass 4.2 kg (9.3 lb) without bayonet
  • 4.6 kg (10 lb) with bayonet
  • Length 130 cm (51 in) (infantry rifle)
  • Barrel length 83 cm (33 in) (infantry rifle)
  • Cartridge 10.75×58 mmR; 24 gram paper-patched round nose lead bullet, 5 gram black powder; cartridge also known as .42 Berdan or 4.2 Line Berdan,
  • 7.62×54mmR
  • Action Berdan I "trapdoor"; Berdan II "bolt"
  • Rate of fire 6–8 rounds per minute
  • Muzzle velocity 437 m/s
  • Effective firing range 400 arshins (284 m, 310.6 yd)
  • Feed system Single-shot

Sights rear sight in "arshins" 200–1200; front sight is inverted v; some infantry rifles have a long range "volley sight" on the right side of front barrel band, along with a second "V" on the right side of the rear sight slide

The Berdan rifle (винтовка Бердана/vintovka Berdana in Russian) is a Russian rifle created by the American firearms expert and inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. It was standard issue in the Russian army from 1870 to 1891, when it was replaced by the Mosin–Nagant rifle. It was widely used in Russia as a hunting weapon, and sporting variants, including shotguns, were produced until the mid-1930s.

The Russian Berdan I (M1868) and Berdan II (M1870) rifles of .42 caliber are distinct from the Spanish Berdan 15mm (.58+ cal) conversion rifles adopted by Spain as the M1857/67 Berdan (and related engineer, artillery & short rifles).


Berdan I

Two different versions of the later single-shot Berdan rifle were adopted as service weapons by Imperial Russia. The first version, manufactured by Colt in the US, is known as model 1868, or Berdan I. It is a hammerless "trapdoor" breechblock design, and was manufactured in limited numbers (the contract stipulated 30,000) as a full-length infantry rifle. Colt also manufactured a few half-stock Berdan I cavalry carbine prototypes, but these were never adopted for Russian service. Colt even produced a few target rifles based on the Berdan I.


Berdan II

The model 1870, or Berdan II, is a single-shot bolt-action with a distinctive short, pear-shaped bolt handle. The bolt handle serves as the only locking lug for the action, and when closed, points upwards at a 30-degree angle, rather than horizontally. The Berdan II was produced in four variants: an infantry rifle, the lighter and slightly shorter dragoon rifle, a Cossack rifle with a button trigger and no trigger guard, and a cavalry carbine. 

Infantry and dragoon rifles were issued with quadrangular socket bayonets. Initial production of the Berdan II was at Birmingham Small Arms in England. The rifles were later manufactured in large numbers by Russian factories at Tula, Izhevsk, and Sestroretsk. Estimated total production of all models is over 3 million. The rifle was known for its accuracy, simplicity and reliability

and as always have a chilled day from the Viking

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