Summary

British Service percussion rifle, Westley Richards carbine, cal. .451 in., steel rifled (eight groove) round barrel, 636 mm long. Manufactured by Westley Richards, Birmingham, 1861.

Buttplate tang stamped 'L62/ 53/ V.V' denoting use by the Victorian Volunteer forces.

One of 26 guns donated in 1871 by the Victorian Ordnance Department from its Melbourne Armoury, for the newly created Industrial and Technological Museum. The display was intended to show mechanics and gunsmiths the principles of gun construction and recent technical developments in weapons.

Physical Description

Steel lock and hammer on R.H. side, steel oval triggerguard with small front spur, no sideplate, saddlebar and ring attached via lockplate bolts on L.H.side, steel butt plate with hinged trap, one sling swivel off barrel band, rear swivel in butt missing. Dinstinctive Westley Richards breech loading mechanism with 'monkey tail' operating lever. Barleycorn foresight that has been largely removed, graduated rear sight, 400 yards on the bed and 800 yards on the leaf, missing rear sight's leather cover, barrel fastened to stock via a steel barrel band and barrel key. Westley Richards carbines issued to Victoria had an additional middle barrel band minus its top strap across the barrel from which the front sling swivel was attached. This feature is specific to the Victorian issue models and often therefore these firearms carry the 'V.V' stamping on the butt tang to denote use by Victorian Volunteer units. The middle band is present on this example.

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