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The later half of the 19th century witnessed quantum leaps in the design
and manufacture of military weapons, small and large. By the time of the
Anglo-Egyptian War (1882), the Martini-Henry had been in service for many
years as the British Army's first single-shot, breach-loading rifle. While
artillery pieces lagged behind small arms in development, they were still
remarkably powerful. The American Civil War had seen the birth of the
Gattling Gun. About 15 years after its development, the British Army
bought license to produce these guns in England and ultimately used them
throughout the empire. It was primarily a weapon for the Royal Navy with
versions sized from the standard .45 up to a full one-inch model, but they
were often landed with Royal Navy gun crews and served with land forces.
Bydand Forever is blessed to have available
for use what is perhaps the largest collection of Martini-Henry rifles in
North America, if not the world. While blank rounds are obviously used in
performances, the rifles used are fully functional; indeed there is an
annual marksmanship competition within the ranks. There are now two
Gattling guns available, one being a .45 calibre version and the second,
newer model is a .303. For standard artillery pieces, a 52mm Krupp
mountain gun normally makes an appearance during our performances. While
this particular gun actually dates to almost the turn of the century, it
is not too far off from the type of piece that would have been employed in
the 1880s.
Martini-Henry Rifle
The
Martini-Henry rifle was first introduced into the British Army in
the early 1870s. It represents the final transition from
muzzle-loading muskets, and did away with the cumbersome
percussion-cap system. This innovation allowed for battlefield
tactics to change from the traditional "shoulder-to-shoulder"
style of fighting to loose skirmish lines. For the technical
freaks in the crowd:
- 480 grain soft lead round
projected by 85 grains of black powder. Brass case is .577,
necked down to .45. Ranks carried 70 rounds when in the field.
- Single-shot, breach-loading
using a lever mechanism. Seven-grooved rifling turns 3/4 of a
complete turn. Sighted to 1450-yards. Effective range opens at
1200 yards. 9.5 pounds.
- 21-inch triangular blade
bayonet (the sort currently banned by the Geneva Convention),
weighing 1.5 pounds.
For additional information
on the Martini-Henry rifle, we invite you to visit
www.martinihenry.com.
(click on the rifle) |
A rack of Martini-Henry rifles with Bydand in the
field. |
Face to face with the business end of the Gatling Gun. |
Gatling
Gun
The Gatling Gun,
adopted for colonial service in the late 1870s, was poorly
understood at the beginning. Referred to as a "Battery Gun," it
was employed in the same manner as a normal artillery piece. Only
after years of trial and error was its potential realized...just
at the time that more modern rapid-fire systems came into use and
the Gattling fell, temporarily, out of favor. You will see the
exact same concepts now being used in modern ultra high speed
weapons. The photo to the right shows the .303 model (the breach
cover, seen in the upper left portion, is open to allow for
cleaning). Again for the techies:
- Composed of ten independently
functioning barrels, each with its own firing mechanism. This
means that the barrels spend 1/10 of the time firing and 9/10 of
the time cooling; overheating is not a problem.
- Opening effective range: 1200
yards.
- 480 grain round projected by
100 grains of powder.
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52mm Krupp Mountain Gun
While not precisely the
weapon employed during the 1880s, this stout little artillery piece
fits into the frequently 'intimate' performance areas into which
Bydand frequently appears. This breach-loading weapon sends a
large chunk of lead down range at a speed so slow that it is possible
to watch the round in the air! For larger venues, Bydand is able
to bring out a larger calibre, full-fledged field gun which is sure to
get everyone's attention. |
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This page was last updated on
Wednesday, 12 December 2007 |
