Berdan I M1868
Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1868
Also known as: Model 1868, Berdan No. 1, .42 Berdan trapdoor
Overview
The Berdan I M1868 was a single-shot, hammerless 'trapdoor' breech-loading infantry rifle designed by American inventor Colonel Hiram Berdan in collaboration with Russian officers Alexander Gorlov and Karl Gunius. Chambered for the bottlenecked 10.75x58mmR Berdan centerfire cartridge, it employed a forward-lifting breech block locked by a coil-spring striker. Roughly 30,000 were manufactured by Colt in Hartford, Connecticut, before the design was quickly superseded by the bolt-action Berdan II in 1870.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4200 g (148.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1346 mm (52.99") |
| Barrel Length | 825 mm (32.48") |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 427 m/s (1401 fps) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 10.75x58mmR Berdan · primary — also known as .42 Russian Berdan, 10.75mm Berdan, 4.2 line
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock
- Features: Trapdoor Breech, Forward Lifting Breech Block, Leaf Rear Sight, Bayonet Lug
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Russian Army · adopted 1868 · as Berdan I
Conflicts
- Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)
Production
Estimated total produced: 30,000 · Production years: 1868-1870
Produced by Colt under Russian contract; about 5,700 undelivered rifles acquired by France during the Franco-Prussian War but arrived too late for combat
Origin
Country of origin: Russia
Designer: Hiram Berdan
Discontinued: 1871
Notes
Distinct from the later Berdan II M1870 bolt-action rifle. The Berdan I used a trapdoor-style action and saw limited adoption before being phased out by 1871; about 18,000 remained with Russia by the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.
Background
Designed by the same Hiram Berdan who commanded the famed Union sharpshooter regiments in the American Civil War, the Berdan I was built in Connecticut for the Tsar's army, making it a uniquely American-Russian collaboration of the breech-loading era.