.43 Spanish

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.43 Spanish
11mm Spanish
11.15×58mmR Spanish Remington
U.M.C. 43-77
The .43 Spanish cartridge.jpg
Type Rifle
Specifications
Bullet diameter.439 in (11.15 mm)
Land diameter.433 in (10.99 mm)
Neck diameterRimmed, Bottleneck [1]
Shoulder diameter.462 in (11.73 mm)
Base diameter.522 in (13.26 mm)
Rim diameter.629 in (15.98 mm)
Rim thickness.085 in (2.16 mm)
Case length2.255 in (57.277 mm)
Overall length2.845 in (72.263 mm)
Primer typeBerdan
Making of .43 Spanish cartridges in Union Metallic Cartridge Co. factory at Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1877 Making Cartridges, sketch by Theo. R. Davis.jpg
Making of .43 Spanish cartridges in Union Metallic Cartridge Co. factory at Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1877

The .43 Spanish / 11.15x57mmR was a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Remington designers around 1867. [2] It was used in early rolling block rifles that Remington manufactured for the government of Spain. The cartridge is also referred to as the .433 Spanish, [3] "11mm Spanish", and identical cartridges for the US Peabody rifle were marked "U.M.C. 43-77". [4]

Contents

History

The .43 Spanish cartridge was produced after Spain purchased the newly invented rolling-block action single-shot rifle. The breech-loading firearm, which was marketed by Sam Remington, impressed the Spaniards after their own evaluation. [5] In 1869, the Spanish government put in an order for 10,000 rifles. [6] In addition to the firearms, they wanted their own cartridge and Remington developed the .43 Spanish. [6] It was produced in two variants: the bottleneck case .43 Spanish (11.15x57mmR Remington Spanish) and the straight-wall case .43 Spanish Reformado (11.4x57mmR Reformado). [2]

The cartridge was very similar to the .44-77 Sharps cartridge, except for the difference in their case dimensions. [7] The Spanish military version of the cartridge was later upgraded in 1889 to a "heavier, brass-jacketed reformado bullet". [8] While Remington stopped manufacturing the cartridge in 1918, its use in the United States became widespread after World War II because it was sold as a surplus. [3]

The cartridge was also used, obscurely, in the 'Improved Lee' or 'Remington-Lee' rifle that was tested by the British in 1887. This extremely rare piece, only 300 were made, was made purely for trials of the Lee bolt and box magazine system, when the British military were looking to convert to a repeating rifle. A British rifle, the Lee-Burton and the last of the .40 Enfield-Martini line, was made by the Enfield armoury. Remington produced their own design with the latest of Lee's design features, chambered in .43 Spanish. The trials favoured the Lee magazine and this was adopted in Britain, although the calibre chosen was the new .303 British. [9]

"Poison bullet"

The .43 Spanish used a .454 in (11.5 mm) diameter bullet that weighed 396 gr (25.7 g). Its 1,280 ft/s (390 m/s) was powered by 74 gr (4.8 g) of black powder. [5] Instead of solid lead bullet, the .43 Spanish used a brass-jacket bullet, which was considered unusual because cupronickel, gilding metal, and copper clad steel were preferred for bullet jackets during the period. [10] It was also the reason why American soldiers suspected that the Spaniards used poison in their bullet during the Spanish-American War. [10] It corroded in the tropics, producing a powdery pale green verdigris once they are exposed to high humidity or salty sea air over time. [10] The brass component, however, improved bullet penetration. [10]

Firearms chambered

Variants

There were three known variants of the .43 Spanish:
11mm Spanish Remington-Spain.jpg
.43 Espanhol
11mm Spanish Reformado.jpg
.43 Espanhol Reformado
43 Spanish Carbine.jpg
.43 Espanhol Carbine Whitney

Dimensions

43 Spanish 11x57.gif
.43 Espanhol
43 Spanish Reformado-11x57R.gif
.43 Espanhol Reformado
11x48 R Spanish Carbine Whitney.gif
.43 Espanhol Carbine Whitney
11x44 R Spanish Remington Carbine.gif
.43 Espanhol Remington Carbine

References

  1. 1 2 Roy Martin Marcot (2005). The History of Remington Firearms. Lyons Press. p. 53. ISBN   978-1-59228-690-4.
  2. 1 2 Thombs, David A., and Barrett, Stephen P. The internet and firearms research with reference to the .43 Spanish Remington Rolling-Block and its ammunition, The Journal of the Historical Breechloading Small Arms Association, Vol.4, No.4, pp. 14–23
  3. 1 2 ".43 Spanish". Roberson Cartridge Company. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  4. ↑ Fred A. Datig (1958). Cartridges for Collectors: Center fire, rimfire, patent ignition. Borden Publishing Company.
  5. 1 2 "Thoughts on the .43 spanish and the Remington Rolling-Block Rifle | Black Powder Cartridge". www.blackpowdercartridge.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  6. 1 2 David F. Butler (1971). United States Firearms: the First Century, 1776–1875. Winchester Press. ISBN   9780876910306.
  7. ↑ Flatnes, Oyvind (2013). From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms. Crowood. ISBN   978-1-84797-594-2.
  8. ↑ Alejandro de Quesada (2012). The Spanish–American War and Philippine Insurrection. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 92. ISBN   978-1-78096-353-2.
  9. ↑ Woodend, Herbert (1981). "RB 193 1887, Rifle, Remington-Lee, 11mm". BRITISH RIFLES - Catalogue of the Enfield Pattern Room. HMSO. pp. 38–40. ISBN   9780117719309.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Rottman, Gordon L. (2013). The Book of Gun Trivia: Essential Firepower Facts. Osprey Publishing. pp. 182–183. ISBN   978-1-78200-621-3.
  11. ↑ Philip Peterson (2011). Standard Catalog of Military Firearms: The Collector's Price and Reference Guide. F+W Media. p. 315. ISBN   978-1-4402-2881-0.
  12. ↑ Jerry Lee (2013). The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2013. Krause Publications. p. 1229. ISBN   978-1-4402-3543-6.
  13. ↑ Dan Shideler (2008). Standard Catalog Of Remington Firearms. F+W Media. p. 104. ISBN   978-1-4402-2699-1.

Further reading

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