The Dreyse needle gun was a 15.4mm-caliber, breech-loading, bolt-action rifle, designed by Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse and used by the Prussian Army during the Austrian-Prussian War (1866) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). It was called the Dreyse needle gun because its firing system used a long needle-like firing pin. It had a long, rifled barrel that measured 91-cm long and fired percussion-capped paper cartridge which was charged with black powder. A 40cm-long bayonet could be attached to the barrel. Entering service in 1848, it became the standard infantry rifle of the Prussian Army. Used by a highly-trained soldier, the Dreyse needle gun had a rate of fire of 8-10 shots per minute, vastly superior to muzzle-loaders which had a rate of fire of only 2 shots per minute. As a result of the success of this Prussian rifle, the French developed the Chassepot rifle.
Specifications
Type: breech-loading rifle
Country of origin: Prussia
Caliber: 15.4mm (.61)
Cartridge: black-powder-charged, percussion-capped paper cartridge with acorn-shaped bullet
Barrel length: 91 cm
Weight: 4.7 kg (10.4 lb)
Effective range: 700 m
Muzzle velocity: 305 m/s (1,000 ft/s)
