The Werndl-Holub M1867 Rifle: Austria-Hungary’s Bold Leap into the Breech-Loading Era When the smoke of the mid-19th century battlefield began to clear, and the echoes of percussion-capped volleys faded into history, military minds across Europe faced a new imperative: modernization. The age of muzzle-loading muskets was over. In its place emerged the metallic cartridge, the...
Category: Black Powder
Rifles of Resolve: The Cosmopolitan and Gwyn & Campbell Carbines in the Civil War
In the smoky din of the American Civil War, when bullets flew and cavalry clashed in thunderous gallops across open fields and narrow ridgelines, it wasn’t just generals and flags that decided the outcome of a fight—it was firepower. Amidst the flood of breech-loading carbines issued to the Union cavalry, two especially curious creatures of...
The Joslyn Carbine: America’s First Successful Breechloader for Brass Cartridges
Among the many innovations in small arms that emerged during the American Civil War, the Joslyn Carbine stands out as a pioneering step toward the modern metallic cartridge firearm. A product of American ingenuity and industrial capability, the Joslyn was one of the first successful breechloading carbines designed to fire a metallic cartridge, placing it...
The Gibbs Carbine: A Comprehensive Analysis of a Rare Civil War Firearm
The American Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, witnessed a rapid evolution in military technology, particularly in the development and deployment of small arms. Among the more obscure yet technically fascinating weapons fielded during the conflict is the Gibbs Carbine. Produced in limited numbers and briefly adopted by Union cavalry units, the Gibbs Carbine...