Pattern 1776 Infantry Rifle
British Board of Ordnance · Rifle · Discontinued · 1776
Also known as: Pattern 1776 Rifle, 1776 Rifle, British Pattern 1776 Contract Rifle
Overview
The Pattern 1776 Infantry Rifle was a British muzzle-loading flintlock rifle adopted by the Board of Ordnance during the American Revolutionary War. Patterned by Birmingham gunsmith William Grice after the German Jaeger rifle, it featured a rifled .62 calibre barrel that gave it far greater accuracy than the smoothbore Brown Bess musket. Roughly 1,000 were ordered in early 1776 and issued in small numbers to the light companies of British regiments and Loyalist units serving in North America.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4100 g (144.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1150 mm (45.28") |
| Barrel Length | 775 mm (30.51") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 350 m/s (1148 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1243 J (917 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 183 m (200 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 274 m (300 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 2 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 8 |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | White Metal |
Calibers
- .62 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as 0.62 in, 15.75 mm ball, .62 calibre
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Rifled Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Hook Breech, Set Trigger, Ramrod, Patch Box
Service history
Operators
- British Army · adopted 1776 · as Pattern 1776 Rifle
- Loyalist Provincial Forces · adopted 1776
Conflicts
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,000 · Production years: 1776
1,000 ordered in January 1776; 800 built by four Birmingham makers and 200 obtained from Hannover. Surviving examples are extremely rare.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: William Grice
Discontinued: 1783
Notes
Eight hundred examples were delivered by four Birmingham makers (William Grice, Mathias Barker, Galton & Sons, and Benjamin Willets) with a further two hundred procured from Hannover. As a rifled arm it loaded slowly with a tight patched ball, so it was reserved for picked marksmen rather than line infantry.
Background
Issued five to a company, the Pattern 1776 was Britain's answer to the deadly accurate American long rifles of frontier riflemen. Capable of hitting targets out to around 300 yards, it equipped light-infantry marksmen but its slow reloading kept it from replacing the musket.