You are here: Home > Publishing Research Press Digest 2026 by David Minshall (Editor)(Research Press, ISBN 979-8273400054) The breech loading rifle superseded its muzzle loading counterpart during the second half of the 19th century. This volume examines  some of these rifles through several contemporary articles. Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse’s ‘needle-gun’ received much publicity, and he is featured in an interview first published in 1866. The British introduction of the Snider and the Martini-Henry into military service are given particular attention. The latter part of the 19th century saw a significant growth in target shooting as a sport, and the 150th anniversary of…

You are here: Home > Research > Hex Bore Written by: David Minshall Introduction > Target Shooting > Dominance Wanes During the 1850s and 1860s the British service rifle calibre was .577, both for the muzzle-loading Enfield rifle and its breech-loading successor the Snider (a conversion of the Enfield). Early manufacture of the Enfield relied on much hand labour and consequently lead to problems of inconsistent performance, non-interchangeability of parts and slow supply. Joseph Whitworth was approached to provide assistance with regards to the design of appropriate machinery for its manufacture. Joseph Whitworth was the foremost manufacturer of machine tools of his time. Not content…

You are here: Home > Marksmanship > 19th Century Riflemen > England > Sir Henry Halford Source: The Strand magazine, London, 1893 Introduction > The Den > First Gun > To America Wistow Hall stands in one of the most picturesque parts of Leicestershire. It is the home of the man who may honestly by titled "The Grand Old Man of Shooting." Sir Henry Halford has revelled in records almost from the very first meeting at Wimbledon in 1860 [1], and it is a remarkable fact that amongst his prizes - and there are twenty-one of them - are those of the Albert at Wimbledon in 1862 and the…