Maynard Rifle
Massachusetts Arms Company · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1865
Also known as: Maynard Model 1865, Maynard Model 1873
Overview
The Maynard Rifle is a single-shot, break-action breech-loading rifle designed by Dr. Edward Maynard and built by the Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls. Lowering the trigger-guard lever tips the barrel up to expose the breech for loading a self-contained rimmed cartridge. Offered as the post-Civil War Model 1865 and the improved Model 1873, the sporting and target patterns carried 26-to-32-inch barrels in calibers up to the powerful .50-70 Government, and their easily interchangeable barrels let one breech-and-stock assembly fire several chamberings. Fine accuracy and Schuetzen-grade target options made the Maynard a respected hunting and competition rifle of its era.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4080 g (143.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1145 mm (45.08") |
| Barrel Length | 711 mm (27.99") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 381 m/s (1250 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2120 J (1564 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 270 m (295 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 900 m (984 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 10 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .50-70 Government · primary — also known as .50-70 Musket, .50-70-450
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Hammer
- Features: Tip Up Break Barrel, Interchangeable Barrels, Reusable Brass Cartridge Case, No Forestock, Schuetzen Target Options
Variants
- Maynard Model 1865 Rifle — Early Pattern
- Maynard Model 1873 Rifle — Improved Pattern
Service history
Operators
- United States civilian shooters · adopted 1865
Production
Production years: 1865-1890
Model 1865 sold modestly; the improved Model 1873 saw wider commercial success as a sporting and target rifle
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Edward Maynard
Discontinued: 1890
Notes
Barrels were interchangeable so a single breech and stock could be matched to barrels of different calibers. Higher-grade models featured checkered fancy walnut, target sights and Schuetzen buttplates. The .50-70 chambering used the U.S. service cartridge adopted in 1866.
Background
Edward Maynard was a Washington, D.C. dentist whose mechanical talents produced both a tape-primer ignition system and the tip-up metallic-cartridge breechloader that bore his name; his reusable brass cartridge cases could be hand-reloaded by the shooter in an age before cheap factory ammunition.