Breechloading & Conversion Action
Breechblock
The component sealing the breech. Hinged on Springfield and Snider, rolling on Remington, falling on Sharps and Martini, rotary on Werndl.
Also called
- breech block
- breech-block
- falling block
- rolling block
- trapdoor
Arms it fits
Documented parts
In stock now
Names recorded
Identification
Notes on the breechblock are still at the bench
Identification notes are written one part at a time, from pieces Butch has had in hand — so this section fills in as he works through the vocabulary rather than all at once. If you are trying to identify a breechblock you already own, he answers those directly at butch@butchsantiquegunparts.com.
Vocabulary
Other names for the breechblock
The same component has been called different things by different makers, manuals and trades. Each term is printed with whatever is recorded about where it comes from.
- breech block
- breech-block
- falling block
- rolling block
- trapdoor
How the mechanism works
Plates & drawings
Original patent drawings for this mechanism, filed by the people who designed it, with every component called out and numbered. They are grouped by how the part works rather than by which arm it came off — the classification that put them here names the mechanism and says nothing about the gun.
Fits
Breechblock by model
Will it fit
No interchange recorded yet
Butch Schoeller writes these notes only from parts he has handled. A blank section means nothing has been checked yet — not that everything fits.
From the bench
Availability
Nothing of this type is listed at the moment. Most of this catalog is one-of-a-kind, so stock turns over item by item rather than being restocked — posting a wanted listing is the reliable route, and aggregated requests are what tell Butch which parts to make next.
The reference
Documented examples
Dutch Beaumont Rifle Parts Breechblock
Dutch Beaumont Rifle
Krag Rifle Parts Breechblock
Krag Rifle
Mauser Parts Breechblock
Mauser
Remington Rolling Block Parts Breechblock
Remington Rolling Block
Rolling Block Rifle Parts Breechblock
Rolling Block Rifle
Sharps Carbine And Rifle Parts Breechblock
Sharps Carbine And Rifle
Spencer Rifle And Carbine Parts Breechblock
Spencer Rifle And Carbine
U.S. 45 70 Trapdoor Springfield Breechblock
U.S. .45-70 Trapdoor Springfield
U.S. Krag Rifle Parts Breechblock
U.S. Krag Rifle
Winchester Parts Breechblock
Winchester
Check it yourself
Sources
Period and institutional material relevant to this entry. Listed so it can be checked, not as decoration — nothing here has been through expert review yet.
- 1.A course of instruction in ordnance and gunnery : TextMetcalfe, Henry, b. 1847 · New York : John Wiley & Sons · University of California Libraries · 1891
- 2.The Driggs-Schroeder system of rapid-fire guns; guns, mounts, ammunitionAmerican Ordnance Company · [Baltimore, Deutsch lithographing & printing company] · Smithsonian Libraries · 1896
- 3.Gun making in the United StatesBirnie, Rogers, 1851-1939; United States. Army. Ordnance Dept · Washington : Govt. Print. Off. · University of California Libraries · 1907
- 4.Biennial report of the Adjutant General of the State of West Virginia for the years...West Virginia. Adjutant General's Office · Charleston [W. Va.] : Moses W. Donnelly, Public Printer · West Virginia University Libraries · 1889
- 5.Ordnance and gunnery; a text-book prepared for the cadets of the United States military academy, West PointLissak, Ormond Mitchell · New York : J. Wiley & sons; [etc., etc.] · University of California Libraries · 1907
- 6.Handbook of artillery : including mobile, anti-aircraft and trench matérielUnited States. Army. Ordnance Dept · Washington [D.C.] : G.P.O. · University of California Libraries · 1920
- 7.Navies of the world; giving concise descriptions of the plans, armament and armor of the naval vessels of twenty of the principal nations. Together with the latest developments in ordnance, torpedoes, and naval architecture, and a concise summary of the principal naval battles of the last twenty years, 1860-1880Very, Edward Wilson, 1847-1910 · New York, J. Wiley & Sons · University of California Libraries · 1880
- 8.DTIC ADA497141: The Coast Artillery Journal. Volume 71, Number 6, December 1929Defense Technical Information Center · Internet Archive · 1929
- 9.A text-book of ordnance and gunnery. Prepared for the use of cadets of the U. S. Military AcademyBruff, Lawrence L. (Lawrence Laurenson), 1851-1911 · New York, Wiley · University of California Libraries · 1900
- 10.Manual of instruction in ordnance and gunnery for the U.S. Naval Training ServiceUnited States. Bureau of Naval Personnel; Hunker, John Jacob, 1844-1916; Hussey, Charles Lincoln; Osborn, Robert Hatfield · Washington, [D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Print. Off. · University of California Libraries · 1900
- 11.Handbook of the 4.7-inch gun matériel, model of 1906 : with instructions for its care, November 19, 1910United States. Army. Ordnance Dept · Washington [D.C.] : G.P.O. · University of California Libraries · 1917
- 12.A text-book of ordnance and gunnery : prepared for the use of cadets of the U.S. Military AcademyBruff, Lawrence L. (Lawrence Laurenson), 1851-1911 · New York : John Wiley ; London : Chapman & Hall · Cornell University Library · 1896