Berdan II Cossack Rifle
Tula Arms Plant · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1873
Also known as: Berdan II Cossack, Kazachya vintovka Berdana, Model 1870 Cossack Rifle
Overview
The Berdan II Cossack Rifle is the specialised Cossack pattern of the Imperial Russian Berdan II M1870, a single-shot, turn-bolt rifle chambered for the 10.75x58mmR Berdan blackpowder cartridge. Adopted in 1873 and built as light as possible for irregular Cossack cavalry, it is best known for its distinctive cylindrical screw-in trigger and complete absence of a trigger guard, along with three extraordinarily light barrel bands and transverse slots cut through the stock to carry its sling. It retained the standard 45-degree turn-bolt action with cock-on-closing striker and a ramp-and-leaf rear sight graduated to about 1,400 paces, but dispensed with any bayonet provision.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3710 g (130.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1219 mm (47.99") |
| Barrel Length | 730 mm (28.74") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 385 m/s (1263 fps) |
| Effective Range | 284 m (311 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 997 m (1090 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 8 rpm |
| 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 Bolt Action
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock
- Features: Turn Bolt Action, 45 Degree Bolt Rotation, Cylindrical Screw Trigger, No Trigger Guard, Three Light Barrel Bands, Transverse Stock Sling Slots, Pinned Nosecap, Ramp And Leaf Rear Sight, No Bayonet Lug, Single Shot
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Russian Cossack Host · adopted 1873
- Imperial Russian Army · adopted 1873 · as Kazachya vintovka Berdana
Conflicts
- Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)
- Russian Civil War (1917-1922)
Production
Production years: 1873-1892
Produced at the Russian arsenals (Tula, Izhevsk, Sestroretsk); the Cossack pattern was made in far smaller numbers than the infantry rifle. Total Berdan II production across all patterns exceeded three million between 1874 and 1892.
Origin
Country of origin: Russia
Designer: Hiram Berdan
Discontinued: 1892
Notes
One of four Berdan II patterns (infantry, dragoon, Cossack and carbine). The Cossack rifle's unique screw-cylinder trigger (a serrated cylinder roughly 14 mm long by 12 mm in diameter, unscrewed for cleaning) and lack of a trigger guard set it apart from every other Berdan variant. Only the upper barrel band is spring-retained; the lower two are friction-fit. Effective/max range figures derive from sights graduated in paces (about 1,400 paces at the top leaf).
Background
The Cossack Berdanka has one of the strangest triggers in service-rifle history: a bare serrated cylinder with a screwdriver slot and no trigger guard at all, which a trooper could literally unscrew from the rifle for cleaning - a deliberately austere design meant to keep the irregular cavalry weapon as light and snag-free as possible.