Tranter Revolving Rifle

Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Location
Germany
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A few months ago I came upon a somewhat exotic-looking period revolving rifle that was completely new to me - which admittedly isn´t difficult as I´m not really into weapons and even much less into firearms. And I didn´t find it directly but via the screen; as it was somewhat prominently featured in the Australian 2016 bushranger film The Legend of Ben Hall.

English inventor William Tranter (1816-1890) is better known for his revolvers which were imported e.g. into the CSA by Griswold & Co. and Hyde & Goodrich and had famous users like Jeb Stuart, Heros von Borcke and Allan Pinkerton. However he also produced and/or patented several long weapons including carbines, revolving rifles (both percussion and cartridge), shotguns, Enfield patterns and even a machine gun.

I found little info on the revolving rifles however there were several models and some were exported as well and found use e.g. with the police of New South Wales (as well as with bushranger John Gilbert on the other side).

Now does by chance anybody know if any of those revolving rifles were imported and used in the civil war?


Pictures (and more information about that specific rifle) are courtesy of the College Hill Arsenal in Nashville, TN
https://www.collegehillarsenal.com
https://www.collegehillarsenal.com/shop/product.php?productid=225

Information about Tranter weapons at the dedicated The Firearms Technology Museum in Orange, NSW, Australia
(also functions as online museum)
http://www.firearmsmuseum.org.au/
 
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Nice piece. The only other one I have ever seen was in Flayderman's book. It looks way to complicated for us dumb ole Southern boys.
 
The Colt Model 1855 Revolving Carbine Is an example of a revolving rifle that was used by the union in the civil war. On it's Wikipedia page it says the the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry used it to great effect at Snodgrass Hill during the battle of Chickamauga.

Ian from Forgotten Weapons has done a few videos on these guns. While this gun isn't from the civil war era, I suspect that it suffered from the same problems:
 
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A few months ago I came upon a somewhat exotic-looking period revolving rifle that was completely new to me - which admittedly isn´t difficult as I´m not really into weapons and even much less into firearms. And I didn´t find it directly but via the screen; as it was somewhat prominently featured in the Australian 2016 bushranger film The Legend of Ben Hall.

English inventor William Tranter (1816-1890) is better known for his revolvers which were imported e.g. into the CSA by Griswold & Co. and Hyde & Goodrich and had famous users like Jeb Stuart, Heros von Borcke and Allan Pinkerton. However he also produced and/or patented several long weapons including carbines, revolving rifles (both percussion and cartridge), shotguns, Enfield patterns and even a machine gun.

I found little info on the revolving rifles however there were several models and some were exported as well and found use e.g. with the police of New South Wales (as well as with bushranger John Gilbert on the other side).

Now does by chance anybody know if any of those revolving rifles were imported and used in the civil war?


Pictures (and more information about that specific rifle) are courtesy of the College Hill Arsenal in Nashville, TN
https://www.collegehillarsenal.com
https://www.collegehillarsenal.com/shop/product.php?productid=225

Information about Tranter weapons at the dedicated The Firearms Technology Museum in Orange, NSW, Australia
(also functions as online museum)
http://www.firearmsmuseum.org.au/
That is bad donkey....I want one :D
 
Like the Colt Root Rifle, the Schofield rifle could have lead shavings exit from the barrel/cylinder gap. However, because the Schofield is centerfire, you won't get a chain fire with it.
 
thank you that is a wonderful weapon. I could never understand why the union did not use more of these.. Except for the cost.
 
thank you that is a wonderful weapon. I could never understand why the union did not use more of these.. Except for the cost.
If I am not mistaken the Spencer and Henry repeating rifles were far more reliable and less costly then revolving rifles.
The Henry design lived on after the Civil War vs revolving rifles.
Leftyhunter
 
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