Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech

The Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech Story

The Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech Rifle had limited service in the American Civil War, after which it was acquired privately by soldiers rather than as standard equipment. So they see no more than 2,000 total production.

This single-shot rifle is loaded via a lowered breech block system, manually operated by a trigger guard lever mechanism. A feature of these rifles is their semi-octagonal semi-circular barrels. The Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech Rifle can buy a variety of rim-fire based cartridges including .22, .41, .42 and .44 calibers.

This unique rifle was produced at the Allen & Wheelock factory in Worcester, Massachusetts from 1860 to 1871.

Walnut furniture forms two key areas of the gun design - the front and the stock. The stock is covered by a crescent-shaped steel stock plate that fits snugly over the operator's shoulder and holds removal tools. The forearm rests directly in front of the relatively short receiver and is covered by a steel nasal mask. A strap is fitted around the blue sleeve in front of the nose cap.

Barrel lengths can vary as desired, overall lengths can be measured between 23" and 28", and are clearly marked with the Allen & Wheelock Company logo. Optional strap loops can be fitted on the front of the forearm and under the hips. Between the wooden parts is the iron receiver, which contains the key inner working parts. The trigger is mounted in a ring guard under the fuselage and in front of the straight grip, providing the lever needed to lower the breech block to pick up a new round. The lowering motion of the breech block automatically ejects any spent cartridges already in the chamber.

The hammer is easily identifiable on the back of the receiver with a distinct tang. The sight consists of a front blade and an adjustable rear V-notch that is adjusted using a lever marked area along the left side of the frame - marked as a height adjustment from "0" to "10".

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes