Volcanic rifle

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The Volcanic lever action rifle was a precursor to the Henry and Winchester line of repeating rifles, and was designed by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson of Smith & Wesson. It was originally manufactured by the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, which was later reorganized into the New Haven Arms Company, its largest stockholder being Oliver Winchester.

The Volcanic rifle used a form of "caseless" ammunition which was unique with the propellant and primer contained with the hollow rear of the bullet.

Wesson had also designed an early form of rimfire cartridge which was subsequently perfected by Benjamin Tyler Henry. Henry also supervised the redesign of the rifle to use the new ammunition, retaining only the general form of the breech mechanism and the tubular magazine. This became the Henry rifle of 1860, which was manufactured by the New Haven Arms Company and was used in considerable numbers by certain Union Army units in the Civil War. The next modification was renamed the Winchester Rifle.