The M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Austro With the British entry into the war, the Russians soon found out that their conscript infantry was woefully under armed with their large caliber smoothbore percussion and percussion conversion muskets. Housed within the breech block is a very small nipple-shaped firing pin actuated by a much larger inertial striker. See Auction Information for full details." In order to fully understand the Russian Krnka adoption and conversions, it helps to understand the models of the Krnka predecessor/parent rifles. The barrel was made in Belgium and had proof marks from Lige since the Russians bought Belgian barrels at the time. The stock shows some scattered bumps, dings and handling marks; all typical of a military long arm, as well as some minor slivering along the forend and ramrod channel. The initials above the dash-dot-dash line are "S.O.Z.". The Russians sued for peace in 1856 giving up Bessarabia (part of present day Romania ). Extraction leverage is not great enough for ejection thus it is likely that the rifle would need to be tipped either up or over to clear the spent case. See, During the Turkish hostilities the infantry regiments of the Russian army were armed with an assortment of rifles, even including muzzle-loading M1854 to M1860 6-Line rifles, but were primarily armed with Krnka rifles. The Treaty of San Stefano (1878) ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, provided for the formation of a Bulgarian self-governing principality with a zemstvo (locally governed Czarist Russian province) army. As the Ottoman empire was breaking up, France, Great Britain and Russia all had interests in its territories. (Pretty serious energy!). Lockplate of a Russian M1856/69 & M1858/69 Krnka Infantry Rifle. hollow-base Mini bullet. Initial muzzle velocity was 349 m/s. There were no ballistic differences between these rifles, only the military authorities' beliefs in the ability of various soldiers to hit their targets at longer ranges! 67, An interesting feature of the Dragoon rifle which, for obvious reasons is not present on the Infantry and Marksman Krnkas, is that because the barrel was shortened from the donor/parent rifle at the breach, not from the muzzle, the newly threaded shortened barrel would not fit into standard Krnka receivers. We have made every effort to make this site friendly to cellphone users, but it's really designed to be viewed with a larger screen. The 141-page book contains detailed, as yet unpublished, information on the individual parts of the rifle, their markings, drawings of all components, a description of the function, including how to adjust and check the rifle for its reliable and safe function. The U.S. M1814 rifle was designed by Robert T. Wickham. The parent rifles' serial numbers are usually found on the side of the barrels near the breech, but may be located on either side of the barrel. So, Krnkas are, not surprisingly, found with missing rear sight leaves and missing sight leaf thumbscrews. This block contained the simple firing pin, as well as external piece that communicated the impact of the hammer to the pin. In 1856, the Russians adopted their first rifled long arm of reduced bore for general issue to the infantry, the Model 1856 or Six Line Rifle. Four systems were considered, those of, Unlike much of Europe (but similarly to the United States) Russia never adopted a repeating black powder cartridge rifle, transitioning directly from the, The Russian conversion to the Krnka breech was a refinement of the M1865/66 Krnka rifle which had just previously been adopted by, Most of the conversion to Krnka work was carried out the Ludwig Nobel St. Petersburg Machine-Building Plant from 1869 into the early 1870s, while some work was done producing, Some authorities have indicated that after 1871 most of the Krnka rifles were converted from 15 mm to the Russian Berdan M1868 caliber, 10.6 x 58 but Hoyem disputes this and it is likely that the references to "converted to 10.6 Berdan" refers to the withdrawal of the Krnkas in favor of the more modern and much more effective, In general, the Krynka system was well developed for its time. However, the new design introduced a very English stock profile with a brass nose cap and clamping barrel bands, all of which were certainly a tip of the Russian ushanka (fur cap) to the English Enfield. The stock shows the most wear and tear, having been lightly sanded and leaving the two cartouches only shadows of their former selves. The original cleaning rod/ramrod remains in place, numbered with the matching conversion assembly number. Our research regarding the conversion and manufacturing of the Krnka system conversion rifles is, well, admittedly confusing. WebIn 1858. a new production line with 28 skilled workers under the guidance of Mihailo Cveji was set up for converting some 15.000 old flintlock muskets to percussion system: in the first year only some 1,800 rifles were converted, then the production increased to 1.000 addapted rifles a month, so by 1863. By late 1856, a 6-line muzzle-loading rifle was developed, its design based on the predecessor Russian 7-Line percussion smooth-bore gun. Unfortunately, revolutionary pressure continued to build and in 1881 Alexander II was killed by a terrorist bomb in the center of St. Petersburg. Fortress gun Ghana arr. Virgin Mosin-Nagant user vs. Chad Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket enjoyer . Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. At the beginning of 1915, Gan's 8-line guns were withdrawn from Russian fortresses and re-issued to front line units for use against armored vehicles. Touch device users can explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Please Note: This site is best viewed on a desktop, laptop or tablet computer. As the Russian arms of the period were not fully interchangeable, assembly numbers were stamped throughout the guns. WebWhen autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. I dont know when you will find another complete, matching numbered example for sale again, and for such a reasonable price, so dont miss your chance to add this rare Russian rifle to your collection. This rifle, the M1860 Cossack 6-Line rifle, was never converted to the Krnka system. In October of 1853, the Crimean War erupted, pitting the Ottoman Empire and their allies the British, French and Sardinians against the Czarist Russian Empire and their small contingent of allies, including Bulgarian volunteers, the Principality of Mingrelia and for a short time the Kingdom of Greece. Also, the stock was narrower than other 6-line rifles. About the Czech rifleman's rifle, which was re-armed by the tsarist army and which in 1878 definitively put an end to the Turkish threat to Europe. above. Over the last decade I have only had the opportunity to offer a handful of 19th century Russian arms for sale and this is one of the more intriguing ones that I have ever had the opportunity to sell. Photos Courtesy ofhttps://collegehillarsenal.com/. Web0.54 in (14 mm) Action. The main overall dimensions of the Russian socket bayonet for all M1869 Krnka rifles are: Top rifle is a M1858/69 Krnka Marksman rifle, Bottom rifle is a M1856/69 Krnka Infantry rifle, below which is the bayonet for both rifles and cartridges. Krnka conversion serial numbers are found on the right side of the receiver and either on top of or under the breech block lever as well as on the striker. Generally speaking, the buttstock bears roundel cartouches on each side, one being dedicated to the original manufacturer of the 6-line cap lock muzzle loader, the other denoting its conversion to a Krnka. Regardless, many, if not most, of the short-sight Krnkas were transferred after the war to the Bulgarians anyway. Pinterest. They saw service during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and even saw limited service with reserve troops as late as World War I. Three distinct models of Krnkas were converted from existing stores of Russian 6Line Models (the M1856, M1858, and possibly (unconfirmed) a M1859 Dragoon). Lockplate of a Russian M1856/69 & M1858/69 Krnka Dragoon Rifle. Model: 1857 PERCUSSION MUSKET RIFLE. But technologically the rifle and its 4-Line 10.75mm cartridge is a substantial leap forward from the 6-Line 15mm Krnka. These were difficult to manufacture (only 90,000 had been produced by 1869) and of course proved to be obsolete even as they were being adopted. All appear solid and unlikely to worsen with normal handling and storage but would likely worsen with rough treatment or under the stress of recoil if the gun was to be shot. Photos Courtesy of. The brass buttstock is shaped differently from that of the long rifles and has a only a very minimal buttstock tang. In 1870, the Russians adopted the Colt manufactured single-shot Model 1868 breechloading rifle, which had been invented by Hiram Berdan of the Berdan Sharpshooters of American Civil War fame. M1860 Cossack 6-Lline rifle Photo Credit: This rifle, the M1860 Cossack 6-Line rifle, was never converted to the Krnka system. In 1857, 100 Colt rifles were purchased and sent to the U.S. troops for field service. Most sadly, as the pictured rifle spent too much of its life in Afghanistan, the rear sight is now missing so no information is available on this rifles rear sight as issued. WebThe design of the rifle. The Russians looked at the various systems that had been adopted, and were in development, and chose a hinged breech alteration based upon the design of Czech arms designer Sylvester Krnka. Twenty years later Russia again went to war with the Turks attempting to regain Bessarabia and, although they defeated the Turks (see Turkey / M1866 Winchester and Turkey / M1872 Peabody-Martini ), British and Austrian forces interceded forcing Russia to give up most of its gains. For the time being, however, the stock appears to be solid, despite the cracks. WebFive thousand Model 1865 conversions were produced at Springfield, utilizing the older rifle muskets and retaining their .58 caliber. WebIn 1858. a new production line with 28 skilled workers under the guidance of Mihailo Cveji was set up for converting some 15.000 old flintlock muskets to percussion system: in the first year only some 1,800 rifles were converted, then the production increased to 1.000 addapted rifles a month, so by 1863. The photos should do a good job of depicting the condition of the stock. WebThe M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Czech arms maker, WebThe M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Czech arms maker, Marksman - 200 paces (142 m; 156 yds) to 1,200 paces (855 m; 935 yards). This was specifically a result of the disbelief of the authorities in the infantryman's ability to hit targets at a long distance. A combination musket-style front sight and bayonet lug was located on the top of the barrel, slightly less than 1 from the muzzle, allowing the mounting of a traditional angular socket bayonet. In particular, it was distinguished by a very strong bolt group - a similar design was used in the. Like the earlier flintlock muskets, the M1845 was a large bore (nominally .71 caliber) smoothbore, single shot muzzleloading long arm. (Non-U.S.) Black Powder, Metallic Cartidge, Military Rifles. The rifle is known most often as the Berdan I. Case: Straight-rimmed center-fire brass case loaded with 5.07 grams of black powder. The new design retained the French-style back action lock of the earlier M1845 muskets, which was retained by a single lock screw that passed through the front of the lock, screwing into a rounded triangular escutcheon on the counterpane and by a single spanner screw at the tail of the lock. Sylvester Krnka was a prolific inventor and continued to refine the Krnka design later providing the Krnka with an automatic lever device for opening the breech and ejecting the spent cartridge. The rivalries among these countries reached its climax in the Crimean War (1853-1856) where Russia fought an alliance consisting of France, Great Britain Sardinia and Turkey. For the collector of Russian muzzleloading muskets, this is the final example chronologically for your collection. The buttplate, nose cap and triggerguard were of brass, with all of the other furniture of iron, including the triggerguard plate and its extended finger rest. The blades have a triangular cross section, with a base much larger than the other two faces. 28 1/2 inch barrel with adjustable rear sight and marked at the breech with The Infantry and Marksmans rifles are virtually, The cleaning rods of the underlying rifles were retained by being locked in place at the shoulder in a manner, for example, identical to that of the, Side view of the shoulder-locking 6-Line/Krnka cleaning rod. The original Swiss Federal Rifle pattern rear sight, graduated to 1,200 paces remains in place and is fully functional, and what appears to be the original sling swivels are present on the front bow of the triggerguard and the middle barrel band. The rifle is 49 in overall length. In 1856, the Russians adopted their first rifled long arm of reduced bore for general issue to the infantry, the. Photo Credit:https://guns.allzip. The donor rifles original trigger guard mounted sling swivel has been replaced with a simple steel plug. Quite rare In early wars with the Turks, Russia gained a firm foothold on the Black Sea for the first time. The right side of the breech block is also stamped 174. The bore of the rifle remains in. The cartridge weighed 204 g with a propellant weight of 23.4 g seating a bullet weighing 128 g, developing a muzzle velocity of 427 m/s. The Russian M1856/67 Krnka offered here is in about VERY GOOD condition, particularly for a 19th century Russian military long arm. The choice of the Krnka system hinged on it's relative simplicity, low precision needed for manufacture of the conversion parts, potential for die-forging the receiver to near-finished dimensions (making production far cheaper and faster), and the ease of adapting the hammer to the system's striker. Two types of bullets were used: lead, to engage infantry in the open, and steel to defeat shelters. The association Sylvestr Krnka, z. s. published a book. M1856, The right side of the breech block is numbered with the conversion number, . WebThe new Model 1857 had a 4.62-inch diameter of bore. The original breech was removed from the barrel and a new bronze breech piece was added with the barrel screwed into it. Overall this is a solid, complete and attractive example of an extremely rare. WebBuilding on a legacy of excellence forged by Eliphalet Remington in 1816, Remington rifles have defined and defended the American way of life for more than 200 years. 1857 Dated Antique SPRINGFIELD 1855 Rifle Musket - Guns All of which were essentially similar hinged breech alterations that allowed muzzleloading percussion arms to be converted to breechloading metallic cartridge guns. The stock was of stained birch with a grain pattern similar to Austrian and Prussian beech. 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