When was the first repeating rifle invented

Yardley, Pa: Westholme Publishing, ISBN Though scholars have debated the veracity of numerous military innovations associated with the American Civil War, Joseph Bilby is certain that "the introduction of repeating rifles firing self-contained metallic cartridges" was "an indisputable American first" p.

A Revolution in Arms is Bilby's examination of this American "first" and his contribution to the publisher's "Weapons in History" series—books designed to explore the historical, technological, and social significance of various weapons. Bilby studied history at Seton Hall University B. In retirement he has become a prolific author, writing, co-writing, or co-editing six books and over three hundred online and print articles regarding New Jersey history, military history, and Outdoor subjects.

Bilby begins his study by outlining the early development of projectile weapons. By American inventors like Samuel Colt, Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, Oliver Winchester, Benjamin Henry, and Christopher Spencer were on the brink of mass producing magazine-fed, lever-action, repeating rifles that fired self-contained metallic cartridges.

Once the Civil War began, two companies dominated the competition for lucrative government contracts—the New Haven Arms Company maker of the Henry rifle and the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company maker of the Spencer rifle and carbine. Officers in the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company were politically connected and quickly secured contracts with both the Navy and War departments by late Two years later the New Haven Arms Company finally won its first government contract.

Consequently, the Spencer rifle and carbine were used more widely during the Civil War than the Henry rifle. In his analysis of the implementation and use of the Henry and Spencer repeating rifles during the war, Bilby makes several important points.

Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help. This blog also features upcoming events and collection displays, classes and orientations, new research guides, and more. In the s the idea of a repeating rifle was finally realized by Oliver Winchester, the largest stockholder of the New Haven Arms Company of Connecticut. He was assigned U. The new technology included a spring-closed loading port on the right-hand side of the frame, directly at the rear of the magazine tube, and resulted in the first reliable lever-action repeating rifle, produced as the first Winchester, Model In the area of firearms development, one name that must be included on that honored roster is Benjamin Tyler Henry.

His invention: The Henry Rifle. It was Mr. Henry who conceived the first practical, lever action repeating rifle patented in