Dreyse Needle Gun

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 16:53 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 16:04

The Dreyse Needle Gun is a military rifle used by the Prussians as their main infantry weapon. The rifle is named after the mechanism that initiates its cartridge. The gun was designed by Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse in 1836 and was officially adopted by the Prussians in 1841.

The Needle Gun’s cartridges consisted of an acorn-shaped bullet that was glued to a paper case containing the black powder. This design was much better than most other guns in use at that time and led to the complete combustion of the powder.

The Needle Gun was widely employed during the uprising in Dresden and in the war with Austria. It proved to be superior in combat and thus made the existing cap and ball muzzle loading rifles obsolete.

In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Austrians suffered severe causalities. Four or five Austrians succumbed to the Needle Gun for every Prussian soldier. Despite Prussian superiority in the war, Bismarck—the Prussian chancellor thought it wise to make a negotiated settlement as further conflict would have benefited Russia and France.

The main advantage with the Needle Gun was that it could be reloaded while lying down in cover. This was not possible in a muzzle-loading gun. Because of this reason alone, the Needle Gun proved itself superior to other weapons of that era.

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