Dreyse Model 1841 (Needle Gun)

History of the Dreyse Model 1841 (Needle Gun)

In 1841, the Prussian army (Prussia, 1525 - 1947) introduced a new long gun called the Dreyse "needle gun". The weapon is a breech-loading rifle that uses a manually-operated bolt shaft and fires acorn-shaped (made of lead) rounds contained in a cardboard box.

The "needle gun" gets its name from the firing pin in the action used to pierce the cartridge and activate the propellant. As a single-shot weapon, the needle gun is reloaded by operating the bolt after each shot.

The design of the rifle is attributed to Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse, and research began in 1836.

At the time, many long guns in the world still relied on the tried and true flintlock breech with a smooth barrel and muzzle loading (with gunpowder and bullets). The needle gun is very different from this approach because it reworked all of these features to create a very modern gun. The wooden stock still forms the main body of the weapon, and there are straps along the length of the front end and barrel to provide rigidity.

The bolt rod moves to the right side of the bolt and the trigger is placed underneath as usual. The lever provided the necessary access to the breech part of the weapon. The gun was equipped with iron sights, one in front of the muzzle and the other near the muzzle.

A well-trained infantryman can fire 10 to 12 rounds per minute with a needle gun, giving him a significant advantage over his contemporaries. The projectile fired has an estimated initial velocity of 1,000 feet per second and a range (effectively) of 600 yards, but final accuracy depends on good weaponry and marksmanship.

The gun weighs about 10 pounds and is 56 inches long (36 inches long barrel).

The Prussian army made its debut in 1841 and did not use rifles extensively until around 1848, with early combat action centered on the 1849 "May Uprising" in Dresden against the revolutionaries. From there it appeared in the Second Schleswig War in 1864, when the Opps defeated Denmark.

The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 resulted in the victory of the coalition forces involving Prussia.

All the action of the needle gun proved to be a revolutionary long gun. Since the infantryman does not have to stand upright when reloading the gun from the muzzle, exposing himself to unnecessary danger, more bullets can be fired in less time, and the shooter can reload from a prone position. Separate cartons are also great for carrying more bullets without having to manage the supply of gunpowder and bullets. The only thing holding back needle guns is age, which has led to better technology leading to more efficient weapons with longer ranges.

When Prussia joined the German Empire in 1871, the needle gun was abolished and replaced by the 1871 Mauser model - the first famous bolt-action rifle came from the work of the Mauser brothers (and became popular worldwide).

Dreyse Nadelkanone developed many variants during his service, including a shortened carbine (carbine) model of 1857, an improved infantry rifle of 1862, and a special rifle that did not appear until the early 1870s. Operators include Prussia, Romania and Japan.

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