and the left side of the bands are all stamped with that number, as well as with the bow & arrow logo of the Sestroretsk arsenal where those components and the nose cap were produced. Note to Visitors: This rifle, along with the M1869 Russian Albini-Baranov and the M1868 Russian Berdan I were all developed more-or-less concurrently over the same several years, hence this HISTORICAL CONTEXT section as well as the bulk of the DEVELOPMENT section will be substantially identical for all three rifles. The gun appears complete and remains mechanically functional. 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. Regardless, many, if not most, of the short-sight Krnkas were transferred after the war to the Bulgarians anyway. Photos Credit:www.jjmilitaryantiques.com. 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. However, Alexander II (1855-1881), Nikolas son, reigned principally as a reformer freeing the serfs, providing allotments of land establishing local legislatures and reforming the legal system. Despite having a less well developed industrial base than the rest of Europe, Russian small arms development during the 1800s followed the European example of a combination of purchasing arms abroad and manufacturing arms at home. It is Russia's conversion of their Model 1856 "Six Line" rifle musket (15.24 mm; the Russian "liniya" being equal to 1/10 inch, hence 6line = .60 Cal) by use of the system developed by Sylvester Krnka of Wolin, Bohemia (20th century Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic). The Russian conversion to the Krnka breech was a refinement of the M1865/66 Krnka rifle which had just previously been adopted by Montenegro. It was Krnka, and not the, In February of 1869 it was proposed that the conversions to the Carl system be halted and that conversions to a metallic cartridge be substituted. . The lock plate is marked with manufacturers marking which may be Russian arsenal or foreign manufactured. Peter the Greats rule, from 1696 until his death in 1725, was a great turning point in Russia when, by virtue of Peters reforms, a strong trend of European influence developed, gradually replacing the earlier influence of Byzantium and the Tartars. The Krnka system consists of a breech block pivoting from right to left, but otherwise somewhat similar to theSniderandFrench Tabatiresystems. Like the earlier Russian M1828 and M1839 flintlock muskets, the new percussion M1845 drew heavily on French influences and bore a strong resemblance to the French M1842 Musket, down to the adoption of the back action lock, foregoing the forward action lock that remained standard in the United States, Great Britain and most of Europe, with the exceptions of France and Belgium. The buttplate of the gun is stamped on the bottom with the serial number 57135, which was the original percussion musket serial number. As the Russian arms of the period were not fully interchangeable, assembly numbers were stamped throughout the guns. Rifle, In 1854, the Russians started rifling and sighting existing stocks of M1845 muskets, but this was too little too late and few of the rifled arms reached the troops in the Crimea before the end of the war. 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. WebIn the shoulder arms position the musket is carried with the butt in the left hand with the barrel facing front. M1859/69 Dragoon Rifle Photo: Credit: Russian Museum of National Military History. Photo Credit: User Nick Stanav viawww.gunboards.com/forums. The rear sight was a distinctive feature, as it was a Swiss-style pivoting leaf of the same pattern that had been used on the Lige-made Russian M1843 Luttich Carbines, which were Belgian-made Russian contract copies of the British Brunswick Rifle. Pulling the trigger releases an otherwise conventionally mounted back-action external hammer striking a nearly longitudinal firing pin, unlike that of its British and French contemporaries. Three years later, when Bulgaria entered the First World War, 12,800 stand of Krnkas remained in Bulgarian service. $40.00. WebSouthern states obtained a quantity of M1855 rifle-muskets on their state militia allotments before the war. (sometimes referred to as the M1859-60, also the "Chernolikhov rifle" ( ) after the Cossack armorer Chernolikhov), had an even shorter overall length of 1240mm with shorter barrel of 845 mm, a weight of 3.48 kg and sights ranged to 1000 steps (711m). What was needed was a much simpler to convert system. 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. The M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Czech arms maker, Sylvester Krnka. See Turkish Peabody-Martini and the link there to the Plevna Defense therein), the decision was made to "upgrade" all Krnkas in Russian service to the long-leaf 1200m rear sight. As this is an Indian Rebellion-era piece in NRA Antique Very Good condition with its original ramrod, it will bring something of a premium over later P53s that were much more common. These muzzleloaders are authentic, true reproductions. 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. Photos Courtesy of. The ramrod of the Russian M1856 series 6-Line rifles has a concave head to avoid flattening the point of the Minnie bullet used in the muzzle-loader. This rifle was fitted with a long-leaf rear sight calibrated to 1200 steps (853 m); M1856/69 Russian Krnka Marksman rifle ( ) Photo Courtesy:https://naukatehnika.com/russkaya-vintovka-sistemyi-krnka.html. In addition to being used by the Russian Empire, the Krnka saw service with the Kingdoms of Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, primarily as arms provided by Russia to those kingdoms during the Balkan Wars. Add to My Saved Parts. The right side of the breech block is numbered with the conversion number 9073. Photos Courtesy ofhttps://collegehillarsenal.com/. Photo Credit: User Nick Stanav viawww.gunboards.com/forums, M1869 Krnka Dragoon lower barrel band. This rifle is a newly built M1869 Krnka rifle produced at the Izhevsk Arms Plant in 1870 and is not a conversion of an earlier 6-Line muzzle-loading rifle. Nikolas persecuted large segments of his population, suppressed publications, forbade foreign travel and generally tried to eliminate progressive thinking and reverse the westernization of Russia. Like most of the other cartridge alterations to military rifles during the late 1860s and early 1870s, the Krnka was a stop gap solution until a better system could be adopted. Florida drew 100 on its 1860 allotment and a Georgia adjutant general report dated Feb. 26, 1861 indicated the state had received 1,225 M1855s. The top of the buttplate and the top of the Krnka breech are marked with the two-headed Russian Eagle along with various other small marks. 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. . The Dragoon Krnka pictured here has a measured length of 1,225 mm (48.2 inches) with a 792 mm (31.2-inch) barrel. The M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Austro Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. Product #: 1940170. Unlike much of Europe (but similarly to the United States) Russia never adopted a repeating black powder cartridge rifle, transitioning directly from theM1870 Berdan IIto the well designed and long-lived M1891 smokeless powder Mosin-Nagant. Add to Cart. Figure 87 View of the assembled lock of the Krnka rifle. Catherine, wife of Peter III (Peter the Greats grandson), succeeded him in 1762. I. , 1938. In this drawing the rifle is shown with a long rear sight leaf. The most obvious identifiable factors of the Krnka Dragoon rifle are its sling slots, and its shorter, rounded, knobby hammer, which is immediately noticeably different from that of the two long rifles. 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. Indeed, it is rather quite likely that the small numbers of Krnka long arms occasionally seen in Western collections have all come from Bulgaria and the Balkans, as Russia itself rarely sold off its surplus arms, which also accounts for the scarcity of the Berdan I & Berdan II rifles found in the West. A variety of small Cyrillic characters, the marks of workmen and inspectors are found throughout the gun. Housed within the breech block is a very small nipple-shaped firing pin actuated by a much larger inertial striker. The Russian 6-line rifles (except for the M1860 Cossack) received a new, steeper stock with a wider buttstock, which helped to reduced felt recoil. A variety of small Cyrillic characters, the marks of workmen and inspectors are found throughout the gun. 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. Unfortunately, this is the best that I was able to do given the age and wear of the rifle's buttstock. Four distinct examples of Russian 6-Line muzzle-loading rifles entered Russian army service after the Crimean War. With the breech block out of the way, a fresh cartridge is thumb-pressed into the chamber, the breech block is flipped into its closed position (being latched closed via a spring-loaded detent mounted in the right side of the receiver engaging the right front of the breech block, thus latching but not locking it closed). Free shipping and returns on Buttstock of a Krnka Dragoon rifle compared with that of a M1869 Infantry/marksman rifle. See Auction Information for full details." The barrel was shortened by 15 cm and fired a lighter bullet but still managed to remain the same accuracy while dramatically increasing effective range from 213 meters out to 853 meters. WebThe rifle has a 34 1/8 long barrel rifled with four grooves and measures .702 which is the nomial French standard of the era, .708 caliber. All other parts, In this case, the elite-and light units will have the Mini rifled musket, while normal line infantry will have the model 1757 smoothbore The M1856/69 Russian Krnka is another unique variety of lifting breech block conversion of muzzleloader to breech loader. This rifle, the M1860 Cossack 6-Line rifle, was never converted to the Krnka system. In America, the solution was Erskine Allins Trapdoor system, in England it was the Snider conversion and in France it was the Tabatire. If stuck in forward position, the tip of the firing pin prevents the breech block from opening. For questions or more information about our firearms or policies, call us at (877) 214-9327 or email [email protected]. Has the the typical Birmingham makers proofs on barrel as well as tell tale lock makers marks under lock. The Infantry and Marksmans rifles are virtually identical, at approximately 53.5 inches (1,360 mm) long with identical features and hardware except only for different rear sight. The Russians sued for peace in 1856 giving up Bessarabia (part of present day Romania ). Katalog, Makovskaja L[ila] K[onstantinovna], Moskva: Voennoe Izdatel'stvo, 1990, 1994, Page started March 10, 1999 Also, the stock was narrower than other 6-line rifles. The 35mm long rear sight of the 1867 Krnka Infantry Rifle. So, Krnkas are, not surprisingly, found with missing rear sight leaves and missing sight leaf thumbscrews. I received the following letter from Mr. Ilija Stanislevik who was kind enough to translate certain Russian inscriptions for me. The rear of the external striker was machined flat so that the modified hammer nose would engage the flat section and keep the breech block from opening at an inopportune time. While not especially accurate, the fortress rifles were effective at moderately close ranges. The total weight of the gun, carriage, limber, and implements was 3,865 pounds. These would be the mainstay of the Russian military until the adoption of the Model 1891 Mosin-Nagant Rifle. 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 two rear sight leaves found on Krnkas are are the short (35 mm; 1.4-inch) elevating leaf correctly found on the full-length Krnka M1858/69 Infantry rifle, and the longer 70 mm (2.7 in) leaf found on the Krnka M1856/69 Marksmans rifle. WebModel: 1857 PERCUSSION MUSKET RIFLE. Two considerations came into play: firstly, by the time of the adoption of the Krnka conversion of Russia's large stores of percussion muzzle loaders, the 4.2 line (10.75mm) Berdan I cartridge had already been proven and adopted, and secondly, Col. Berdan's early metallic cartridge conversion rifles (notably the Spanish Berdan series) had seen success utilizing his .577 Berdan cartridge. The death of Alexander I in 1825 brought Tsar Nikolas I, one of Russias most reactionary Tsars, to the throne. despite being widely fielded, was marginal at best and they were withdrawn for good from Russian service following that conflict. Feed system. 67, Eligible for FREE shipping * The so-called "fortress guns" over time were quite widely used to defeat manpower behind shelters and protective structures. WebFive thousand Model 1865 conversions were produced at Springfield, utilizing the older rifle muskets and retaining their .58 caliber. above. Even as to Russian produced rifles, the armories also bought locks and other parts from other sources which may account for different markings. WebBelgian model 1857 percussion musket, approximately .70 caliber, back action lock inscribed A & CH De Loneux Liege, with walnut stock and several cartouches, sling swivels, 40 1/2" barrel. . Unfortunately by this time the Berdan series of rifles was well established and further development of the Krnka was abandoned. The right side of the breech block is also stamped 174. In early wars with the Turks, Russia gained a firm foothold on the Black Sea for the first time. Blank, school and combat cartridge modifications. WebWhen autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. WebThe M1867 Russian Krnka ( ) was a breech loading conversion of the muzzle-loading Model 1857 Six Line rifle musket designed by Czech arms maker, 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! The conversion maintains its original back action lock but the original hammer is replaced with a very simple flat hammer-like striker (resembling a hammer with its head horizontal rather than vertical) to strike the firing pin fitted longitudinally through the breech-block. Quite rare possible Confederate use period copy of the P1853 rifle musket and made by various Spanish armories as well as well known Birmingham makers such as this one is. The lock is marked with initials . For any collector who specializes in the Russian long arms of the cartridge period, this is the gun that you must have as the initial example in the collection. For any collector who specializes in the Russian long arms of the cartridge period, this is the gun that you must have as the initial example in the collection. It has no sling swivels but rather ferrule reinforced slots half-way up the forestock and through the buttstock. Thus, a standard Krnka alteration will bear the serial number of the percussion gun on its butt, the serial number of the breech on both the bronze and steel components and a conversion assembly mating number on many of the parts. The original cleaning rod/ramrod remains in place, numbered with the matching conversion assembly number. This same assembly mating number from the alteration process appears on the top of the buttplate, on the top of the barrel, inside the lock, inside the barrel channel of the stock, on the right side of all three barrel bands, on the long range sight base and on the cleaning rod (ramrod). Mainstay of the Russian conversion to the throne firearms or policies, call at! Most, of the Krnka system left, but otherwise somewhat similar to theSniderandFrench Tabatiresystems arms position musket. Dragoon Krnka pictured here has a measured length of 1,225 mm ( inches. 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