The Thorneycroft carbine was one of the earliest
bullpup
A bullpup firearm is one with its firing grip located in front of the breech of the weapon, instead of behind it. This creates a weapon with a shorter overall length for a given barrel length, and one that is often lighter, more compact, conc ...
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with b ...
s, developed by an English gunsmith in 1901 as patent No. 14,622 of July 18, 1901. This
bolt-action
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-action ...
rifle featured a bullpup action in which the retracted bolt slid back through the stock nearly to the shooter's shoulder, maximising the space available in the body of the firearm. The rifle was chambered in the contemporary
.303 British
The .303 British (designated as the 303 British by the C.I.P. and SAAMI) or 7.7×56mmR, is a calibre rimmed rifle cartridge. The .303 inch bore diameter is measured between rifling lands as is the common practice in Europe which follows th ...
(7.7 mm) service cartridge, and held five rounds in an internal magazine.
The Thorneycroft was shorter and 10% lighter than the standard
Lee–Enfield rifle used by the British military at the time. However, when tested at
Hythe the firearm exhibited excessive recoil and poor ergonomics, and was not adopted for military service.
See also
*
List of bullpup firearms
The following is a list of firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 1 ...
Sources
*
* ''The Lee-Enfield Story''. Ian Skennerton. page 89.
External links
- MilitaryImages.Net - Thorneycroft carbine- MilitaryImages.Net - Thorneycroft carbine- Youtube video of an example at the Royal Armouries, Leeds
Bolt-action rifles of the United Kingdom
Bullpup rifles
Trial and research firearms of the United Kingdom
{{Rifle-stub