The Ferguson rifle was a breech-loading rifle designed by British officer Patrick Ferguson, one of the first breech-loaders issued to any army, entering British service in 1776 with only about 200 made between 1776 and 1778. Its breech opened by turning the trigger guard, which acted as a crank on a tapered eleven-thread screw, letting a soldier load from the rear and fire some six to eight rounds a minute, far faster than a muzzle-loading musket. It fought in the American Revolutionary War, most notably at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777 where Ferguson himself was wounded, but its high cost and slow production, roughly four times that of an ordinary musket, kept it from ever becoming standard issue.
Facts
Classification
Service Status Weapon Class Introduced Year Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) Connections
Operated By
Source Ferguson rifle (Wikipedia)
Used In
Source Ferguson rifle (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Ferguson rifle (Wikipedia)
Infobox, Type
Type: Rifle
Infobox, Service history
In service: British Army 1776
service status
It fought in the American Revolutionary War, most notably at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777 where Ferguson himself was wounded, but its high cost and slow production, roughly four times that of an ordinary musket, kept it from ever becoming standard issue
- Infobox: caliber 0.650 in
- Used In: American Revolutionary War, infobox wars field: 'American Revolutionary War'
Operated By: British Army, Infobox, used by and service fields
Infobox lists: British Army
View the Source2. Wikidata: Ferguson Rifle
Wikidata Q2090925, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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