Ferguson rifle
Rifle / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Ferguson rifle was one of the first breech-loading rifles to be put into service by the British military. It fired a standard British carbine ball of .615" calibre and was used by the British Army in the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, and possibly at the Siege of Charleston in 1780.[1]
Quick Facts Type, Place of origin ...
Ferguson Rifle | |
---|---|
Type | Rifle |
Place of origin | Great Britain |
Service history | |
In service | British Army 1776 |
Used by | United Kingdom |
Wars | American Revolutionary War |
Production history | |
Designer | Maj. Patrick Ferguson |
Designed | 1770 |
Produced | 1776–1778 |
No. built | 200 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 7.5 lbs (3.5 kg) |
Length | various: 48 to 60 in (1,200 to 1,500 mm) |
Barrel length | 49 in (1,200 mm) |
Cartridge | .615 in (15.6 mm) |
Calibre | .650 in (16.5 mm) |
Action | single-shot |
Rate of fire | 6-8 rounds per minute |
Muzzle velocity | Variable |
Effective firing range | 200 and 300 yards (180 and 270 m) sights on the Ordnance Rifle |
Feed system | Breech-loaded |
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Its superior firepower was unappreciated at the time because it was too expensive and took longer to produce – the four gunsmiths making Ferguson's Ordnance Rifle could not make 100 in 6 months at four times the cost per arm of a musket.