REME MUSEUM of TECHNOLOGY

 
Weapon No 29
Percussion .45 inch Whitworth Barrelled Rifle

Although the Whitworth rifle was never generally accepted for the service, as a match shooting rifle it was a great success. This is an example of those made to order for match shooting.

 
Weapon No 30
Rifle Percussion Breech Loader .48 inch Westley Richards (1860)

Made by the well known firm Westley Richards & Co of Birmingham. In 1861 it was approved as the firearm for the Cavalry of the Army. Even when the Snider was adopted in 1867 for all arms of the British Army it was not entirely displaced, for it was issued to the Yeomanry. The Portuguese Government also adopted it for use in their Army. While in use it acquired the nickname of 'Monkey Tail'. This was due to the distinctive arm used to open the breech.

 
Weapon No 31
Carbine Falling Block .45 inch Westley Richards with Henry Patent Rifling

This weapon was made in two lock designs. This is the original design and is modelled on the 'Peabody' pattern, with an internal hammer and a block hinged at the rear. The firing pin is part of the hammer face. The later model used a horizontal striker operated by a 'V' spring behind it, which provided a more compact action.

 
Weapon No 32
Winchester Model 1894 .30 - .30 (Klondike)

This model '94 was the first Winchester to be adapted for use with smokeless cartridges and was designed by John M Browning for Winchester. More than 1,500,000 of these had been produced by 1948, when a rifle bearing the number 1,500,000 was presented to President Harry S Truman.

The cartridge used was the famous .30 - .30, loaded with 30 grains of smokeless powder and a 170 grain bullet. This combination of rifle and cartridge proved immensely popular for deer hunting and still enjoys that popularity today.

 
Weapon No 34
Rifle 11 mm Werndl

Early breech loader developed by Josef Werndl in 1867. Josef was the founder of Steyr-Werke AG, the outstanding manufacturer of Austria. This is a single shot weapon; the breech mechanism consists of a Rotating Block which has a thumbpiece on the left hand side. When in the closed position with the hammer forward the Block is locked. When open the Block is retained by a flat leaf spring attached to the stock.