M1819 Hall rifle
Encyclopedia
The M1819 Hall rifle was a single-shot breech loading rifle
designed by John Harris Hall
, patented on May 21, 1811, and adopted by the U.S. Army in 1819. It used a pivoting chamber breech design and was made with either flint-lock or percussion cap
ignition systems. The main years of production were from the 1820s to the 1830s at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal
. This was the first breech loading rifle to be adopted in large numbers by any nation's army, but not the first breech loading military rifle - the Ferguson rifle
was used briefly by the British Army in the American Revolutionary War
. Breech loading rifles remained overshadowed by common musket
s and muzzle loading rifles so prevalent in the early 19th century. The early flintlocks were mostly converted to percussion ignition.
The carbine design was produced beginning in 1833, using a smooth-bore barrel of 23 inches in length. It had an overall length of 43 inches, weighed 8 lbs, and was the first caplock
firearm adopted by the U.S. Army. The following year, a carbine in .69 caliber was introduced for the Regiment of Dragoons, with a second run in 1836-1837. Barrel length was reduced to 21 inches in 1840, and a "fishtail" breech lever design credited to U.S. Army Captain James Huger was also introduced for the next 7,000 carbines, including the M1842 carbine, the final "regulation design" of the series.
In 1843 the Hall-North carbine, variously known as the M1843 and the "improved 1840", featured a side-mounted Henry North-Edward Savage breech lever. 11,000 Hall-North carbines were manufactured with a 21-inch, .52 caliber barrel. The Hall production line at Harper's Ferry closed in 1844, but between 1843 and 1846, 3,000 M1843 carbines were also manufactured by Simeon North.
The development was primarily the work of Hall, who had been working on a design in the first two decades of the 19th century, receiving critical patents during the time. The work caught the interest of Army, which lead to the contract at the end of the latter decade. The breech loading design was made possible by his focus on using carefully machined components to form a seal, but still allowing enough tolerance for the breech to be opened easily. The Hall rifle offered a significant increase in rate of fire over muzzle-loading rifles and muskets. However the design suffered from a gas leak around the interface of the removable chamber and the bore, resulting in the necessity of a heavier powder charge that still produced much less muzzle velocity than its muzzle-loading competition. No serious efforts were made to develop a seal to reduce the loss of gas from the breech. The penetrating ability of its .52-caliber ball for the rifle was only one-third of that of the muzzle-loaders, and the muzzle velocity of the carbine was 25 percent lower than that of the Jenks "Mule Ear" carbine despite having similar barrel lengths and identical 70-grain powder charges.
Thousands of rifles were made, though the troops and many leaders preferred the simplicity and lower costs of muzzle loaded weapons. However, the advantages were clear, and breech loading designs would grow to dominate rifle procurement after the Civil War
. Many of the lessons learned by Hall would benefit designers of the next generation of breech loaders such as the Sharps rifle
(1848), Spencer carbine (1860) and others.
The Halls were used against Indians and in smaller conflicts. Some saw service in the Civil War; however, by this time many rifles were worn out over 30 years of use.
As part of the process, Hall built his own shops and machinery at Harper's Ferry, and along with inventing this weapon, he invented many machines paving the way for uniform manufacturing of weapons with interchangeable parts. The ruins of his shops are still visible today.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
designed by John Harris Hall
Captain John H. Hall
John Harris Hall was the inventor of the M1819 Hall breech-loading rifle, and a mass production innovator.-Early life:Hall was born in 1781 in Portland, Maine. He worked in his father's tannery until setting up his own woodworking and boat building shop in 1810 where he tinkered with guns in his...
, patented on May 21, 1811, and adopted by the U.S. Army in 1819. It used a pivoting chamber breech design and was made with either flint-lock or percussion cap
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
ignition systems. The main years of production were from the 1820s to the 1830s at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal
Harpers Ferry Armory
Harpers Ferry Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, was the second federal armory commissioned by the United States government located in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia , the first federal armory being the Springfield Armory located in Springfield,...
. This was the first breech loading rifle to be adopted in large numbers by any nation's army, but not the first breech loading military rifle - the Ferguson rifle
Ferguson rifle
The Ferguson rifle was one of the first breech loading rifles to be widely tested by the British military. Other breech loaders were experimented with in various commands, including earlier versions of the Ordnance rifle by Patrick Ferguson when he was in the "Fever Islands" . It was often...
was used briefly by the British Army in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Breech loading rifles remained overshadowed by common musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s and muzzle loading rifles so prevalent in the early 19th century. The early flintlocks were mostly converted to percussion ignition.
Production history
The original flintlock model had a 32.5 inch barrel rifled with 16 "clockwise" (right-hand) grooves making a turn in 96 inches. The muzzle was reamed to a depth of 1.5 inches and had an appearance of a smooth bore. Overall length was 52.5 inches and weight without bayonet was 10.25 pounds. The rifle fired a .525 ball weighing 220 grains (one-half ounce), using a 100-grain powder charge and 10 grains of fine powder primer.The carbine design was produced beginning in 1833, using a smooth-bore barrel of 23 inches in length. It had an overall length of 43 inches, weighed 8 lbs, and was the first caplock
Caplock mechanism
The caplock mechanism or "percussion" lock was the successor of the flintlock mechanism in firearm technology, and used a percussion cap struck by the hammer to set off the main charge, rather than using a piece of flint to strike a steel frizzen....
firearm adopted by the U.S. Army. The following year, a carbine in .69 caliber was introduced for the Regiment of Dragoons, with a second run in 1836-1837. Barrel length was reduced to 21 inches in 1840, and a "fishtail" breech lever design credited to U.S. Army Captain James Huger was also introduced for the next 7,000 carbines, including the M1842 carbine, the final "regulation design" of the series.
In 1843 the Hall-North carbine, variously known as the M1843 and the "improved 1840", featured a side-mounted Henry North-Edward Savage breech lever. 11,000 Hall-North carbines were manufactured with a 21-inch, .52 caliber barrel. The Hall production line at Harper's Ferry closed in 1844, but between 1843 and 1846, 3,000 M1843 carbines were also manufactured by Simeon North.
Action
The back several inches of the "barrel" (the chamber) is a separate piece that pivots upwards from the front for reloading. In essence you still load the ball & charge front to back, but in a short section, very similar in concept to loading a cylinder of an early cap & ball revolver. Envision a short stubby pistol held tightly to a long barrel through which the bullet will travel, and you will understand the concept of the Hall rifle. (In fact the breechblock of the percussion version could even be detached and carried as a makeshift pocket pistol.)The development was primarily the work of Hall, who had been working on a design in the first two decades of the 19th century, receiving critical patents during the time. The work caught the interest of Army, which lead to the contract at the end of the latter decade. The breech loading design was made possible by his focus on using carefully machined components to form a seal, but still allowing enough tolerance for the breech to be opened easily. The Hall rifle offered a significant increase in rate of fire over muzzle-loading rifles and muskets. However the design suffered from a gas leak around the interface of the removable chamber and the bore, resulting in the necessity of a heavier powder charge that still produced much less muzzle velocity than its muzzle-loading competition. No serious efforts were made to develop a seal to reduce the loss of gas from the breech. The penetrating ability of its .52-caliber ball for the rifle was only one-third of that of the muzzle-loaders, and the muzzle velocity of the carbine was 25 percent lower than that of the Jenks "Mule Ear" carbine despite having similar barrel lengths and identical 70-grain powder charges.
Thousands of rifles were made, though the troops and many leaders preferred the simplicity and lower costs of muzzle loaded weapons. However, the advantages were clear, and breech loading designs would grow to dominate rifle procurement after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Many of the lessons learned by Hall would benefit designers of the next generation of breech loaders such as the Sharps rifle
Sharps Rifle
Sharps rifles were those of a series begun with a design by Christian Sharps. Sharps rifles were renowned for long range and high accuracy in their day.-History:Sharps's initial rifle was patented September 17, 1848 and manufactured by A. S...
(1848), Spencer carbine (1860) and others.
The Halls were used against Indians and in smaller conflicts. Some saw service in the Civil War; however, by this time many rifles were worn out over 30 years of use.
As part of the process, Hall built his own shops and machinery at Harper's Ferry, and along with inventing this weapon, he invented many machines paving the way for uniform manufacturing of weapons with interchangeable parts. The ruins of his shops are still visible today.
