Spencer repeating rifle Essays

  • History Of The Spencer Repeating Rifle

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Spencer Repeating Rifle Was designed in 1860 by Christopher Spencer. Christopher Spencer was born 1833 and died in 1922. He was born in Manchester, Massachusetts. He was a machinist in Hartford, Connecticut. He designed and build the Spencer Repeater. The Spencer Repeater is a rifle. A rifle is a gun, especially one fired from shoulder level, having a long spirally grooved barrel intended to make a bullet spin and thereby have greater accuracy over a long distance. A rifle is a firearm designed

  • Advancements in Firearm Technology during the American Civil War

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    those advancements, namely the inventions of the Minié ball, the Spencer and Henry repeating rifles, and of the Gatling gun. Prior to the invention of the Minié ball it was necessary for the bullet to be the same diameter as the barrel in order for it to engage the rifling. This made it difficult and time consuming to load because the bullet would have to be rammed down the barrel with some force. Due to this fact, muzzle loading rifles had not seen any previous use in combat. The Minié ball, however

  • Essay On Civil War Weapons

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rifles For Watie: Weapons of the Civil War Many weapons were used during the Civil War. Some definitely saw more use than others, and some may have been forgotten. The most popular weapon used in the Civil War was most likely the Spencer Repeating Rifle. The Spencer Repeating Rifle replaced the much less effective musket. A less popular weapon, for example, were landmines, and were deemed as barbarous and banned for use. The less popular, maybe even “unusual” weapons, vary greatly in use

  • Improvements on Civil War Weaponry

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    the Henry rifle was one of the first lever action breech loading rifles. This allowed quicker reloading of the gun. Other than the Henry rifle, soldiers started using pre loaded brass shells which were also a big improvement compared to hand reloading like with the musket. Not only were guns being improved, they also made upgrades in cannons and not so much in bayonets. Because of the use of all these new weapons, the war was much bloodier than previous wars. The Henry rifle is a rifle that has

  • The Effect of New Weaponry on the American Civil War

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    muzzle-loading rifle and ball that fired with more accuracy and 8 times the effective range of older weapons (Boot 127). Other innovators such as Samuel Colt, Oliver Winchester, and Richard Gatling were active as well in designing their own weapons. Many inventors received much attention when the war began. The Spencer repeating rifle, patented in 1861 by Christopher Spencer, was shown to be quite the innovation during the war by Wilder’s “Lightning Brigade”, who used the 7-shot rifle in the West against

  • Col. Custer: The Most Heroic Events In American History

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    carbines, Colt single action .45 Caliber pistol and saddle saber. The carbine did have a more significant range of 1600 yards and better accuracy than the Henry and Spencer repeating rifles. But the Springfield was prone to jamming. The copper round would expand from the heat of the weapon during repeated use. While the Henry and spencer rifles were 3 times as effective at close quarters and rapid reloading then the Springfield. Giving an advantage to the Tribesmen. Another advantage given to the Northern

  • Cocking The Hammer Research Paper

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    cap, but it allowed for a more rapid and sustained rate of fire which would become very important. This technology of repeating sustained fire rate would not only limited to short range fire arms, but would eventually be implemented in long range weapons as well. According to Firearms an Illustrated History, “there had been attempts to produce a “repeater,” or multiple-shot, rifles and muskets as early as the 16th century. Notwithstanding the success enjoyed by the percussion revolvers of Colt and

  • Weapons of the Civil War: Why Did The North Win?

    1651 Words  | 4 Pages

    Weapons of the Civil War: Why Did The North Win? Battles have been fought since the dawn of time. Weapons have gradually become more technological and sophisticated each and every time. People learn from their mistakes, as did the Indians in the late 1700s, as well as the Confederate troops from the Civil War. The Union was victorious in this war for freedom, and to this day, the north is more the heart of the country’s economy. Weapons have been around from the Neanderthals of the post-ice

  • Weapons of The Civil War

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    were not as powerful and widely used as today, but still made their name clear on the battlefield. At the time of the Civil War, (1861–1865) there was a large variety of weapons used on the battlefield. These weapon variations include the following: rifles, pistols, swords, cannons and even early forms of grenades. Considering that weapons were not quite evolved yet, they had a great number of problems and weaknesses. This effected their range, accuracy, performance, power, maneuverability, ext… Civil

  • Gunsmithing History

    1695 Words  | 4 Pages

    cartridge. It contained an ignition source called a primer, an amount of powder and a bullet. Early cartridge guns were converted percussion rifles. The first repeating rifles were the Henry and Spencer, the Henry had a fifteen shot internal magazine and the Spencer a seven round removable magazine this meant multiple could be carried. Repeaters were not limited to rifles though handguns such as the famous Colt Single Action Army were a common favorite among both civilians and military personnel. The industrial

  • Battle Of Little Bighorn Research Paper

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    Do you know what happen at the Battle of Little Bighorn? The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, took place on June 25, 1876 in Montana to settle the dispute over the Black Hills and drive the Indians back to their reservations. Under the command of Sitting Bull the Indian armies decided to wage war against the white people for refusing to stay out of their land in the Black Hills. To drive the Indians back into their reservations the U.S. army split into three columns to

  • The Union vs. the Confederates

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    inches from the center of the bull’s eye. At the end of these contests 1,000 winners were enlisted in the 1st United States sharper shooters. The next generation of breechloaders called magazine rifles would prove ever more deadly to confederate opponents. “Guns such as Spencer and Henry repeating rifles were deigned to carry preloaded magazine of seven to fifteen bullets which could be inserted into the rear of the gun.”3

  • Artillery and Weapons of the Civil War

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    A popular weapon used by both sides was the rifle. Rifles were invented before the Civil War and were greatly used in the War of 1812. However, more types were built and a larger amount was used during the Civil War. Rifles added a spin to bullets for a greater accuracy at longer ranges. Using this weapon, soldiers could fire 400 yards away, as opposed to the average 80 yards (Robertson 50). Rifles were the fastest and hardest weapon of the time. Rifles allowed their bullets to be shot harder and

  • Civil War

    1591 Words  | 4 Pages

    Civil War During the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865, over 620,000 accounted soldiers were killed. Known as the "the first modern war", historians generally agree that the reason for this was because this was a time of transition for the military. Armies and Navies were still using tactics where they would gather large forces of firepower to bear on the enemy. At the same time, weapons were being developed which were accurate and lethal well beyond any arms of the earlier conflicts

  • New Technology in the Civil War Era

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    new weapons used during the war and also other technologies that helped with the war. These helped change the way people lived and made life easier for them. The Repeating Rifle was used during the Civil War by 1863. These guns could fire more than one bullet before they needed to be reloaded. The most popular one was called the Spencer Carbine and it could shoot seven shots in 30 seconds. The Minie bullet was Claude-Etienne Minié created this bullet. This also used, and the new rifling or grooves