item details
NamePercussion rifle, Lancaster.
ProductionCharles Lancaster; manufacturer(s); 1855; England
Classificationrifles, firearms
Materialswood, steel
Materials Summarywood and steel
DimensionsOverall: 60mm (width), 200mm (height), 1200mm (length)
Registration NumberDM000400
Credit lineGift of the New Zealand Arms & Armour Society, 1962
Overview
'Lancaster' percussion rifle, made by Charles Lancaster, London, 1855.
Lancaster rifles were unusual in that their barrels did not have conventional rifling. Instead, the barrels were bored to an oval shape with two wide twisting grooves opposite each other. This allowed the .577 calibre lead bullet to make avery close fit with the barrel when the charge was ignited. .
Lancaster's oval-bore rifling system was well-suited to military use, but his rifles wereonly used in small numbers by the British Army.