Maynard Model 1873 No. 15 Target Rifle
Massachusetts Arms Company · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1873
Also known as: Maynard Improved Target Rifle No. 15, Maynard Model 1873 Improved Target No. 15
Overview
The Maynard Model 1873 No. 15 Target Rifle is a single-shot, breech-loading rifle built around Dr. Edward Maynard's tip-up barrel action and produced by the Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls. One of the premier offerings in the Maynard sporting line, the No. 15 was a fine off-hand match rifle fitted with a straight stock, checkered walnut forearm and wrist, a Swiss-pattern plated buttplate, and precision vernier target sights. Chambered for black-powder centerfire cartridges such as the .44-60 Maynard, and able to accept interchangeable barrels, it was a favored Schuetzen and gallery competition arm of the 1870s and 1880s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4080 g (143.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1170 mm (46.06") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 390 m/s (1280 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1628 J (1201 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 900 m (984 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .44-60 Maynard · primary — also known as .44-60 Maynard 1873, .44-60-330 Maynard
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Hammer
- Features: Tip-Up Breech-Loading Barrel, Interchangeable Barrels, Checkered Walnut Forearm And Wrist, Swiss-Pattern Plated Buttplate, Vernier Tang And Globe Target Sights
Production
Production years: 1873-1890
Made in small numbers as a premium target/Schuetzen rifle within the Maynard Model 1873 sporting series.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Edward Maynard
Discontinued: 1890
Notes
The No. 15 and No. 16 represented the top of the Maynard Model 1873 sporting range; the No. 15 is distinguished by its straight stock. Barrels were offered from 26 to 32 inches and the action could accept smaller .22, .32 and .35 caliber barrels to order. Ballistic figures for the .44-60 cartridge are estimates from comparable black-powder Maynard chamberings.
Background
Dr. Edward Maynard, a Washington dentist turned prolific arms inventor, patented his tip-up breech-loading system before the Civil War. By the 1870s the Massachusetts Arms Company had refined his design into an elegant line of sporting and target rifles, of which the No. 15 Improved Target was among the finest, prized on the off-hand match firing lines of the American Schuetzen era.