Brunswick Rifle Pattern 1837
Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1837
Also known as: Pattern 1837 Brunswick, Two-Groove Rifle, P-1837
Overview
The Brunswick rifle is a .704 caliber muzzle-loading percussion rifle adopted by the British Army from 1837 to replace the Baker rifle. Its distinctive two-groove barrel was designed to take a 'belted' round ball whose raised equatorial belt engaged the grooves, spinning the projectile for greater accuracy than a smoothbore musket while being faster to load than conventional multi-groove rifles. It was issued primarily to rifle regiments and sergeants, and remained in limited service for decades despite a reputation for being difficult to load when fouled.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4500 g (158.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1181 mm (46.50") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 370 m/s (1214 fps) |
| Effective Range | 270 m (295 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 2 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 2 |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | White Metal |
Calibers
- .704 Caliber Belted Ball · primary — also known as 0.704 in, 17.9 mm belted ball, two-groove belted ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Two Groove Rifling, Belted Ball, Muzzle Loaded, Percussion Lock, Sword Bayonet Bar, Ramrod
Variants
- 1st Model (Back Action Lock) — Lock Type
- 2nd Model (Side Action Lock) — Lock Type
Service history
Operators
- British Army · adopted 1838 · as Rifle, Two-Grooved, Brunswick
Conflicts
- First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-1846)
- Crimean War (1853-1856)
- Indian Rebellion of 1857 (1857-1858)
Production
Production years: 1837-1885
Manufactured at the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield and by London gun trade contractors across several patterns.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: George Lovell
Discontinued: 1885
Notes
Produced in successive patterns; the first model used a back-action lock, later models a conventional side lock. Effective range commonly cited around 300 yards. Ball weight roughly 555 grains (~36 g).
Background
The Brunswick's belted ball had to be aligned by hand so its raised belt slotted into the two deep grooves before ramming, a fiddly operation that made the rifle notoriously slow and unpopular to load, especially with a powder-fouled bore.