Historical Firearms, Long Range Target Shooting & Military History
You are here: Home > Research > Hex Bore > Hex Bore blog
A few pictures of original Whitworth rearsights illustrating that there was no single pattern; there are also further variants. All those shown are from full stocked Whitworth military style rifles. Whitworth rifles display in their construction many minor variations and finishing differences.
Appendix 19 of the Report of the U.S. Department of Ordnance, 1882, is a ‘Report on European Ordnance and Manufactures.’ It extends over 50 pages of text plus 30 single page plates. English and French ordnance of the period and various systems of construction are covered. Included is a short section on Whitworth’s Guns, with breech loading gun details and including Whitworth’s own remarks on early trials and gun construction.
Whitworth Research Project – database management summary 2021.
Joseph Whitworth was born at Stockport in 1803 and was to become the foremost manufacturer of machine tools of his time. He was approached in 1854 by Lord Hardinge to investigate ‘the mechanical principles applicable in the construction of an efficient weapon.’ Unwilling to commit to the design of a complete set of machinery for manufacturing rifle muskets, Whitworth was asked to undertake the construction of the machinery for the rifle barrel only. His experiments revolutionised rifle design.