Whitworth rifle
Muzzle-loading rifle / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Whitworth rifle was an English-made percussion rifle used in the latter half of the 19th century. A single-shot muzzleloader with excellent long-range accuracy for its era, especially when used with a telescopic sight, the Whitworth rifle was widely regarded as the world's first sniper rifle.[1]
Whitworth rifle | |
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Type | Muzzle-loading rifle |
Place of origin | ![]() |
Service history | |
Used by | United Kingdom Canada Australia New Zealand Confederate States of America |
Wars | American Civil War, Australian frontier wars, New Zealand wars |
Production history | |
Designer | Joseph Whitworth |
Designed | 1854–1857 |
Manufacturer | Whitworth Rifle Company |
Produced | 1857–1865 |
No. built | 13,400 |
Specifications | |
Length | 49 in (1,200 mm) |
Barrel length | 33 in (840 mm) |
Calibre | 0.451 in (11.5 mm) |
Action | Percussion lock |
Rate of fire | 2–3 rounds per minute |
Effective firing range | 800 to 1,000 yd (730 to 910 m) |
Maximum firing range | 1,500 yd (1,400 m) |
Feed system | Muzzle-loaded |
Sights | Classic iron sights, Scope |
The Whitworth rifle saw extensive use with the Confederate sharpshooters in the American Civil War, claiming the lives of several Union generals, including Major General John Sedgwick, one of the highest-ranking Union officers killed during the Civil War, shot on 9 May 1864, at Spotsylvania. In October 2017, a surviving example of a Confederate Whitworth rifle was auctioned with a hammer price of $161,000.[2]
The Whitworth rifle was considered to be the very best rifle of its time in terms of accuracy, when compared to other British, French, American rifles, or those produced elsewhere.[3]