Remington M1867
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Remington M1867 | |
|---|---|
 Exterior and cutaway view of the M1867 action |
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| Type | rolling block rifle |
| Place of origin | Norway |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1867 - mid 1890s (rifle) 1888 - 1908 (modified carbines) |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1867 |
| Number built | 58,450 (5,000 converted to carbines) |
| Variants | M1867, M1888 & 1891 Carbine conversions |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4,32 kg, 9.6 lb |
| Length | 1355 mm, 53.35 in |
| Barrel length | 951 mm, 37.44 in |
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| Cartridge | 12.17x44 mm rimfire (original rifle) 8x58R rimmed centerfire (modified carbines) |
| Action | Rolling block |
| Rate of fire | 13 |
| Muzzle velocity | 385 m/s, 1.260 ft/s |
| Effective range | 900 m, 3000 ft |
| Feed system | NA |
| Sights | V-notch and front post |
The Remington rolling block M1867 was the first truly modern rifle to be adopted by the Norwegian Army. Nominally it had a caliber of 4 Norwegian decimal lines, the actual caliber was 3.88 Norwegian decimal lines (12.17 mm), and it fired an 12.615 mm (4.021 Norwegian decimal lines) rimfire round.
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[edit] Birth of the M1867
In the 1860s the Norwegian military realized that the standard rifle—the breechloading, percussion-fired Kammerlader (chamber-loader)—was rapidly becoming obsolete in the face of the new metal cartridge combining bullet, primer and propellant load (first produced by Smith & Wesson in 1858). In early October 1866, a Norwegian/Swedish rifle commission was established in order to select a suitable cartridge and rifle for the two nations. Several different cartridges and rifles were considered by the commission. A partial list includes:
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- A Prussian needlegun designed in 1866.
- Larsen and Steenstrup - two different modifications of the standard issue army rifle at the time.
- A modified Swedish standard army rifle.
- Non-repeating rifles for metallic cartridges:
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- Peabody - American lever-action
- Remington - American, rolling block
- Larsen - two related, but different Norwegian designs. One lever-action, one bolt action
- Repeating rifles for metallic cartridges:
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- Spencer - American design, removable magazine in the buttstock (See Spencer rifle)
- Henry - American design, tubular magazine under the barrel (See Henry rifle)
- Larsen - Norwegian modification of the Henry
- Repeating rifles for paper cartridges:
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- Palmcrantz - Swedish design (See Helge Palmcrantz)
- Percussion rifles:
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- Burnside[1] - American design with metallic cartridge
- Sharp - American design using paper cartridges (See Sharps rifle)
After various tests, including repeated firings, it was clear that the needle guns were not particularly well-suited. These - along with the repeating rifles - were dropped from further testing. Further testing - which included test firing by previously untrained troops - showed that both the Peabody and the Remington was suitable for issuing to the field army. In the end, the commission based their decision on price and complexity. The Remington totalled a mere 25 parts to the Peabody's 37, and both the Norwegian and Swedish militaries adopted the Remington as their standard rifle on 22 November 1867.
[edit] The production rifle
A grand total of 58,450 Remington M1867 were delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces from 1867 until 1883, when production was curtailed to make room for the Jarmann M1884. All production rifles were meant to be manufactured at Kongsberg Våpenfabrik in Norway, but since the factory needed to be upgraded with more modern machinery, the first rifles delivered to the Norwegian Army were manufactured in Sweden. The difference is minor; the Norwegian rifles have brass furniture (buttplate, mounting bands and the head of the cleaning rod), while Swedish rifles have iron furniture. For the first few years the barrels of the M1867 were made of iron, but after 1871, steel became the standardized material. The price for each barrel was slightly higher, but the better design reduced misfire damage and ultimately resulted in cost effectiveness. Additionally, the designers improved the lock by replacing two lockscrews with a lockplate.
The sight of the rifle was the last item to be standardized, due to the fact that no one could agree on which would be best. The early production rifles had an L-shaped sight that could be flipped over, but the final design was a unique combination of other ideas. Earlier models were supposed to be changed to this final design, but it is still possible to find M1867 with the original sights intact.
Each rifle was delivered with a sling, a long bayonet, a three-pronged screwdriver, an oil bottle, a cleaning rod, and a muzzle plug to stop moisture from getting into the barrel. Early muzzle plugs were a short, conical dowel made of wood, but soon a brass cup with a cut out for the front sight replaced it in service.
In 1880 Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk delivered 72 conversion kits for the rifles which allowed less expensive 22LR ammunition to be fired from the M1867 for training. These kits consisted simply of tubes to be inserted into the rifle from the breach, containing a chamber for the 22LR and a short barrel. The intention was to allow for cheaper training. Later, in 1884, several M1867 were permanently modified to fire 22LR with an improved model of this device.
After the Jarmann M1884 replaced the M1867 as the main rifle in the first lines of the Norwegian Army, the M1867 was delegated to rear units until at least the mid 1890s. Roughly 5,000 were modified in 1888 and 1891 into carbines, firing 8 mm rimmed centerfire ammunition. These remained in use until 1908, when they were finally replaced by Krag-Jørgensen carbines.
[edit] Decline of rifle
From 1900 onwards, the Norwegian Army sold the obsolete M1867 to the public for a nominal price. Many of these were converted into hunting rifles and shotguns, so that it has become difficult to find an M1867 in its original form.
The 8 mm carbine conversions were kept in reserve until World War II, when most of the estimated 4,900 units were destroyed by German forces.
Today, an unmodified M1867 in decent shape might be worth 4.000 - 6.000 Norwegian kroner (roughly 600 - 900 USD), while an M1867 in perfect condition might go for as much as 10.000 kroner (roughly 1.500 USD)[2]. However, as mentioned most of the M1867 were modified after they were sold to civilians, and most collectors seem to agree that the modified arms are worth a lot less.
[edit] References
- Hanevik, Karl Egil (1998). Norske Militærgeværer etter 1867. Hanevik Våpen. ISBN 82-993143-1-3. Chapter 1 and appendix A
[edit] External links
- Some pictures of the M1867
- Other nations used rifles with the Remington action too; this page lists some of them
- A collectors page on the M1867
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