Designed by brothers Charles and Sebre Howard and first patented in 1862, this is a single shot lever action produced by the Whitneyville Armory between 1866 and 1870. It is a really neat compact design that is all contained within a tube. The system was made in rifle, sporting rifle, and shotgun configurations, with a total production of not more than about 1700. The rifle pattern guns, like this one, were chambered for .44 Rimfire. A prototype military configuration example was tested unsuccessfully by the US military in 1867.
Light MGs
T52E3 – An M60 Prototype
There is no doubt that German machine guns of World War II were superior to American machine guns of the period. The BAR, with its 20-round magazine and fixed barrel was much under-equipped for use […]
Antiques
Colt-Berdan I: Russia’s First Military Cartridge Rifle
In 1867, a Russian delegation came to the United States to source new small arms for the Czar. In addition to purchasing Gatling guns, they met with Hiram Berdan and agreed to purchase a trapdoor […]
Commentary
2-Gun Action Challenge Match: SVT40 vs M1 Garand
So, after the hype about setting the FG-42 up against the M1 at a practical action match, I unfortunately have to let you down. We had a bit of a mishap right before the match […]
Everybody was looking to create the next great rifle sensation and hopefully obtain large lucrative military contracts. One of the more unusual designs I have ever seen. Someone ought to bring that back as a real production rifle for reenactors. They sould try the same reproduction of the Evans rifles.