Winder musket

Last updated
Winder musket
Type Musket
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used by United States Department of the Army Seal.svg United States Army
Production history
Designed 1904
Specifications
Cartridge .22 Short
.22 Long Rifle
Action Falling block action
Feed system Single Shot, breechloading

The Winder musket was a .22-caliber training rifle used by the US Army in the early 20th century.

Contents

History

The Winder musket was the brainchild of Colonel C. B. Winder, who advocated marksmanship training with a rifle of similar size and weight to a service rifle but chambered in .22 rimfire, which was both economical and suitable for indoor ranges. The Winder musket was based on the Winchester Model 1885 single-shot rifle.

Although it was never officially referred to as the Winder musket, the weapon was informally named in honor of Colonel C. B. Winder and has since generally been referred to as the Winder musket.

Winder muskets were used for target and training purposes well into the early twentieth century. Many were purchased by the United States Ordnance, and many were issued to American N.R.A. affiliated rifle clubs. The Winder musket was superseded by the 1922 Model bolt-action training rifle, and remaining Winder muskets were sold.

Design and Features

The action for the Winder musket was originally developed by John Browning. Winchester bought the patent and manufacturing rights from Browning in 1883.

John Browning American firearms designer

John Moses Browning was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms – many of which are still in use around the world. He made his first firearm at age 13 in his father's gun shop, and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents on October 7, 1879, at the age of 24. He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries, and pioneered the development of modern automatic and semi-automatic firearms.

The Winder musket featured a full stock and was chambered for .22 Short or .22 Long Rifle. It had a 28-inch barrel and an overall weight of 8.5 lbs.

.22 Short firearm ammunition type

.22 Short is a variety of .22 caliber (5.6 mm) rimfire ammunition. Developed in 1857 for the first Smith & Wesson revolver, the .22 rimfire was the first American metallic cartridge. The original loading was a 29 or 30 gr bullet and 4 gr of black powder. The original .22 rimfire cartridge was renamed .22 Short with the introduction of the .22 Long in 1871.

.22 Long Rifle ammunition

The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common ammunition in the world today. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smoothbore shotguns, and even submachine guns.

Variants

The Winder musket was produced a "high wall" version and a "low wall" version, with the name referring to the height of the side walls of the action alongside the falling block and the hammer. There were two major high wall variants and one low wall variant.

The Winder musket was also produced in both military and civilian versions.

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