IN the early 1980's, a good friend had one of these. His had been re-barreled to 45-70 using a trapdoor barrel (I think it was) He used to hand load a blackpowder load for it, and sometimes used 2 3/4" .410 shells in it as well. I got to shoot a few times in BP and it was actually a pretty neat gun!
My first thought was there's a lot of different dimensions and surfaces that need to be cut. Every cut takes time PLUS precision. A production line would likely have a specific jig and its own machine to make each cut. All adds up to time and money. Neat idea but I understand why the Ordnance Dept did not go with it.
A real beast to manufacture, surprisingly easy operation. I imagine a developed/derived model with simplified manufacture would have suited a buyer quite well if the opportunity had presented itself.
proof that during certain era some "tradition" do killed off any good design, on this case not exposed hammer. i wonder if today "tradition" do killed off other good design too...
@@prd6617 Well it was less tradition and more-so the US wanted to use the trapdoor design since in addition to being a pretty decent design it could also be used to convert old stocks of muskets into more modern rifles.
I know trigger discipline is king and my dad, a WW2 Marine, taught me well but the issues the troops had with this were why I was so hesitant about striker fired pistols. Our old .380 Beretta or my buddy's 1911 you could see the hammer from across the room. Gun might be unloaded but you knew something, visually easily at a glance. My Sig P365 has a loaded chamber indicator but you have to be right on top of the thing to see. I truly get the old soldiers mistrust of this thing.
@@davidgreen5099 I've gotten over it, to a degree. I know my weapon is loaded and I'm positive of what will happen if the trigger is pulled. Not having a manual safety was another weird moment. But I really fell in love with the P365. I'm still nervous around other people's striker fired weapons. But I'm comfortable with my own.
Yup its sad how they choose single shots over repeaters because they were afraid troops would use to much ammo which lead to many troops dieing in the late 1800s in war and Indian conflicts
Lelouch America is a pretty big country. It kinda makes sense since supplies were difficult to maintain. Still terrible loss of life because of pencil pushers and accountants. We may have gone too far the other way in the western world. I never called in air support, (I was a soldier, but I was mostly an instructor/teacher although I was in field and over the line as part of those duties). I know of go getters who would spend tens of millions sending artillery and missiles into structures and securable locations instead of surrounding and waiting them out, (captured enemy combatants is typically preferable, but it’s hard to say know to guys who get results). It’s always been this way. If you have 1,000 soldiers, perhaps as few as 10-20 of them are responsible for 50%-75% of enemy casualties and captures. If you were a “real” soldier, (I was borderline) you know who those guys are/were. I’m sure those “real” soldiers were given much better equipment, and much more ammo and hand to hand weapons. Brutality is what won fights especially then so shock and awe was the ideal technique.
@@RowenJ420 The US Army ordnance dept, specifically at Springfield, was entrenched with old geezers who were mentally stuck in the previous century. It remained that way until McNamara eliminated it in the later 1960s. Plus the ordnance dept was extremely biased against foreign designs. Personally its the rare good idea McNamara had getting rid of these stumbling blocks.
@@john-paulsilke893 Good point about the logistics side. Even if a location was near a railroad track it could take a week or more to get resupplied, assuming there is a stockpile of spare ammo somewhere. Of course, most of the battles with native tribes were out in the boondocks where supplies usually came by mule wagons and mules do not walk very fast Another very overlooked problem is the quality of US Govt issue horses, they were not the best of their day. That's why the size of the cavalry troops* was limited so they would not overburden their horse. Then they had to figure in all the kit the horse soldier had to carry. Ammo being so heavy had to be limited. So it seems stupid by 2020 A.D. standards but it was a serious concern out in the Wild West. *Custer was one of the biggest cavalry troops at 5'11" at about 140-150 pounds. He also had a much better horse to carry him.
Company K of the Seventh Cavalry actually had the Ward-Burton carbine issued to them for a while to field test these after the trials. And it’s possible one was at Little Big Horn, as a few .50-70 cartridge casings fired from a Ward-Burton were recovered via archaeological digs. Company K turned them in and received the M1873 Springfield sometime before the 1876 campaign and were equipped as the rest of the regiment was at Little Big Horn. A couple of notable names were on the board for the Terry trials. Of course, Gen. Alfred Terry being one, the head of the Dept. of Dakota and reluctant commander of the Dakota column in 1876. Major Marcus A. Reno was also on the board, and was in that column under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, and had his share of troubles in that campaign and after.
Ian, these videos where you demonstrate taking down the action of antique firearms must really come in handy to whoever ends up buying the weapon. I imagine there are seldom any manuals that come with these old gems.
And this rifle was thoughtfully designed to deal with it. I would say the only thing holding back firearms development was bureaucratic prejudice and lack of training.
That shroud/dust cover on the bolt would have been welcome in the trenches of WW1. The plunger ejector is amazingly advanced. Somehow the box magazine never occurred to anyone until James Paris Lee in the late 1870s. With it, the bolt action rules. Without it, the bolt action is one of a number of possible options and not necessarily the best. I am reminded that the Swiss adopted the (tube) magazine-fed bolt-action Vetterli rifle in 1869. Somehow it took a couple of decades for most other nations to catch up - often when they got their asses kicked by a nation which *did* adopt a repeating rifle.
As a hobby machinist i can safely say that is spectacular machine work. Thats a lot of steps and individual op setup needed with what was available then for machine tools. You figure the round stuff is easily done on a lathe but all those groves and notches needed to be done on a shaper or groover. All done with steam powered, belt driven tools.
Insane level of knowledge of this beautiful old rifle, another amazing video! Just learning constantly while being entertained simultaneously. The respect shown to the original engineer and craftspeople who put this together really comes through. Cheers for showing us this mate, Australian Government strong armed us all into giving up our beloved rifles and firearms and massacred over a million of them live on TV, with a giant buzz saw probably 26 years ago now. I reckon it's probably the first live streamed massacre in Australian TV history, if not the world! *Sigh* This is the closest I'll ever get to a beautiful piece of blue steel and walnut and that goes double for one with history.. Greetings From Australia mate Stay safe
The level of machining and accuracy in those days is astonishing. Withouth electricity, just steampower and hand tools. The way this bolt is constructed is a work of art.
@@donovanchilton5817 Well, the bolt might be difficult to make but i don´t see it being problematic for the user ( never mind the slight unsafeness due to lack off cocking indicator). Have you ever disassembled a Mauser 95 bolt? It is just as complex.
Looks like Kijiro Nambu wasn't the first to come up with the idea of nesting the striker spring in a cavity in the back of the striker; Ward had him beat by over three decades. This rifle's bolt may not be quite as easy to strip as a Type 38's, but it still looks pretty simple, especially for the era.
This just looks... wrong. The crazy long barrel and stock of a muzzle loader combined with a very nicely machined bolt action that wouldn't look out of place in WWI. This thing might be even easier to field strip than an AR.
I just watched a Charles Bronson movie last night, "Red Sun" and the Army troops guarding the train had this rifle. I did not recognize it until I saw this video.
I honestly believed the krag jorgensen was the first American produced bolt action. Apparently , the concept had been around quite some time before. Very cool!
I am lucky enough to have 3 different versions of the Ward Burton in 50-70. I have a very rare carbine, a "long Tom" carbine, and a rifle. Perhaps some day i will make a shooting video of these? The only thing holding me back is that the "long Tom" is missing the extractor pin. Anyone interested in seeing a shooting video of these remarkable Ward Burton's? The 7th Cavalry had 56 of the carbines for the Yellowstone Expedition of the just over 300 that were made by Springfield.
US: Do we want to adopt a new bolt action rifle or even just change over to smokeless powder like every other country in the world? Nah theyre just gonna be obsolete after 5-10 years anyways. lets just keep using blackpowder trapdoors and then adopt the goofy krag-jorgenson rifle lol
Hey love the channel was wondering if u could tell me what was the .50 cal special that paul Hogan used in lightning jack. You can youtube the movie and the scene is around 56.90mins would appreciate the help.
damn that gun looks good for its age and looks really well built i bet that if it had some kind of magazine maybe like a 3 stack mag it would have been looked at harder but going single shot the trapdoor is def faster in that department but still really nice gun
Dude I just was looking at like a 60 year old Ithaca side by side that’s in worse shape than this! Has it had anything replaced or restored cuz that rifle’s in impeccable shape being so old.
Were old guns commonly made with no finish or does it just wear off over the years? Almost all from this period or before (even my inherited Winchester 1895) seem to have a similar bright metal finish.
Many times the weapons would be "polished" or military bright. It looked better on parade. Blueing firearms came later when there was a desire for more corrosion resistance and concealment. At least that is what I have gleaned from stuff I have read.
I'm surprised they didn't try to manufacture and sell that rifle as a hunting rifle. Can you imagine being a well-to-do gentleman back then, and pulling one of those from some satin-lined case in front of the other gentlemen?
The machining and finish is remarkable for that time period. It looks better than my Mossberg MVP that was made last year...
Same with my Ruger American
It was also Probably a much, much more expensive rifle than your Mossberg.
My mvp won't look that good in 150 years.. or be as cool.
Well, actually, that is pretty much typical for the time period.
Things used to be made to last, ‘planned obsolescence’, would have been an obscenity.
this gun seems like it was really ahead of its time in some ways. That bolt looks pretty modern even though its for a totally different time.
Looks great for 150 years old!
Matt Hayward just a few years after the American Civil War
I'm a third it's age and in worse shape! 😃
@@Hawk1966 LOL me too!
@@Hawk1966 I'm like 6 times younger and I agree 😂
@@seanchan7167 Damn, we're a bunch of broken people here.
I'm never failed to be impressed with sheer grace of the skilled engineers of the past, simply amazing, thanks for redoing this one,
That rifle is in really gorgeous condition...
IN the early 1980's, a good friend had one of these. His had been re-barreled to 45-70 using a trapdoor barrel (I think it was) He used to hand load a blackpowder load for it, and sometimes used 2 3/4" .410 shells in it as well. I got to shoot a few times in BP and it was actually a pretty neat gun!
Ohh that looks simple. *Ian starts bolt disassembly* Nevermind.
The bolt is very simple... He even says so
Well for its function its simple. But to manufacture it is a horror amount of waste material
Exactly
My first thought was there's a lot of different dimensions and surfaces that need to be cut. Every cut takes time PLUS precision. A production line would likely have a specific jig and its own machine to make each cut. All adds up to time and money. Neat idea but I understand why the Ordnance Dept did not go with it.
A real beast to manufacture, surprisingly easy operation. I imagine a developed/derived model with simplified manufacture would have suited a buyer quite well if the opportunity had presented itself.
The lack of corrosion on this is impressive even if it wasn't used
Mark would be proud, someone did the maintenance
@@micahreid5553 Mark is the man. I sent him a first gen 1911 to get reworked. Such a master.
@Götz von Berlichingen I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm curious. What makes you say that it has been restored?
This rifle has some spectacular machining and construction! I am sad that this didn't seem to go further, it has some good ideas from what I can tell.
proof that during certain era some "tradition" do killed off any good design, on this case not exposed hammer.
i wonder if today "tradition" do killed off other good design too...
@@prd6617 Well it was less tradition and more-so the US wanted to use the trapdoor design since in addition to being a pretty decent design it could also be used to convert old stocks of muskets into more modern rifles.
I know trigger discipline is king and my dad, a WW2 Marine, taught me well but the issues the troops had with this were why I was so hesitant about striker fired pistols. Our old .380 Beretta or my buddy's 1911 you could see the hammer from across the room. Gun might be unloaded but you knew something, visually easily at a glance. My Sig P365 has a loaded chamber indicator but you have to be right on top of the thing to see. I truly get the old soldiers mistrust of this thing.
Sounds like we are of similar age. Striker pistols and their lack of a positive safety make me uncomfortable too.
@@davidgreen5099 I've gotten over it, to a degree. I know my weapon is loaded and I'm positive of what will happen if the trigger is pulled. Not having a manual safety was another weird moment. But I really fell in love with the P365. I'm still nervous around other people's striker fired weapons. But I'm comfortable with my own.
Very nice rifle.
The fouling grooves were interesting.
Man the machinery on this rifle looks so modern.
Looks like a musket
I was not expecting the bolt to be that complicated.
Yup its sad how they choose single shots over repeaters because they were afraid troops would use to much ammo which lead to many troops dieing in the late 1800s in war and Indian conflicts
Lelouch America is a pretty big country. It kinda makes sense since supplies were difficult to maintain. Still terrible loss of life because of pencil pushers and accountants. We may have gone too far the other way in the western world. I never called in air support, (I was a soldier, but I was mostly an instructor/teacher although I was in field and over the line as part of those duties). I know of go getters who would spend tens of millions sending artillery and missiles into structures and securable locations instead of surrounding and waiting them out, (captured enemy combatants is typically preferable, but it’s hard to say know to guys who get results).
It’s always been this way. If you have 1,000 soldiers, perhaps as few as 10-20 of them are responsible for 50%-75% of enemy casualties and captures. If you were a “real” soldier, (I was borderline) you know who those guys are/were. I’m sure those “real” soldiers were given much better equipment, and much more ammo and hand to hand weapons. Brutality is what won fights especially then so shock and awe was the ideal technique.
no thank you sorry, I got on a soap box. What I originally wanted to say was, yup, crazy complicated for a single shot.
@@RowenJ420 The US Army ordnance dept, specifically at Springfield, was entrenched with old geezers who were mentally stuck in the previous century. It remained that way until McNamara eliminated it in the later 1960s. Plus the ordnance dept was extremely biased against foreign designs. Personally its the rare good idea McNamara had getting rid of these stumbling blocks.
@@john-paulsilke893 Good point about the logistics side. Even if a location was near a railroad track it could take a week or more to get resupplied, assuming there is a stockpile of spare ammo somewhere. Of course, most of the battles with native tribes were out in the boondocks where supplies usually came by mule wagons and mules do not walk very fast
Another very overlooked problem is the quality of US Govt issue horses, they were not the best of their day. That's why the size of the cavalry troops* was limited so they would not overburden their horse. Then they had to figure in all the kit the horse soldier had to carry. Ammo being so heavy had to be limited.
So it seems stupid by 2020 A.D. standards but it was a serious concern out in the Wild West. *Custer was one of the biggest cavalry troops at 5'11" at about 140-150 pounds. He also had a much better horse to carry him.
I'd love to have this, looks like an excellent rifle that is rare for no good reason. There should have been thousands of them.
Company K of the Seventh Cavalry actually had the Ward-Burton carbine issued to them for a while to field test these after the trials. And it’s possible one was at Little Big Horn, as a few .50-70 cartridge casings fired from a Ward-Burton were recovered via archaeological digs. Company K turned them in and received the M1873 Springfield sometime before the 1876 campaign and were equipped as the rest of the regiment was at Little Big Horn.
A couple of notable names were on the board for the Terry trials. Of course, Gen. Alfred Terry being one, the head of the Dept. of Dakota and reluctant commander of the Dakota column in 1876. Major Marcus A. Reno was also on the board, and was in that column under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, and had his share of troubles in that campaign and after.
Oohhh it looks so nice for it's age! A practical safety system.
The history of the channel is awesome. Knowledgeable content
Damn imagine being such a good NASCAR driver they named a whole gun after you
He was a good NASCAR driver.
*Insert obligate former NASCAR driver joke.
I _knew_ that name sounded familiar.
Ian, these videos where you demonstrate taking down the action of antique firearms must really come in handy to whoever ends up buying the weapon. I imagine there are seldom any manuals that come with these old gems.
SO PRETTY!!...........ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A STRAIGHT-PULL
SO MANY CAPITAL LETTERS- ALMOST LIKE CAP LOCK WAS ON
Thank you , Ian .
That thing would rock mud tests. A tight, strong and well designed rifle for its day.
How is a rifle almost 7x my age in better shape than me? 😂
It's steel and wood. You are made of meat.
@@GunFunZS For now...
Too many parties? 😇
some one took better care of the rfle.
nice one ian!!
And in 2002 another Ward Burton would win the Daytona 500!
A real beautiful looking old bolt action, love your work mate.....
Another great video Ian!!!! Thx from Australia 🇦🇺
That is pretty amazing machining. Looks like the only thing holding back firearms development in the late 19th century was black powder.
And this rifle was thoughtfully designed to deal with it. I would say the only thing holding back firearms development was bureaucratic prejudice and lack of training.
The legendary Ward-Burton safety slap that's in every video game...
wait a second...
I'm getting a reminder here of Bill Ruger's .22 pistol design, along with tremors of terror over the thought of having to clean the thing.
That guy.. he must have thought, I can make money putting my guns back together when the owner can't.
That shroud/dust cover on the bolt would have been welcome in the trenches of WW1. The plunger ejector is amazingly advanced.
Somehow the box magazine never occurred to anyone until James Paris Lee in the late 1870s. With it, the bolt action rules. Without it, the bolt action is one of a number of possible options and not necessarily the best.
I am reminded that the Swiss adopted the (tube) magazine-fed bolt-action Vetterli rifle in 1869. Somehow it took a couple of decades for most other nations to catch up - often when they got their asses kicked by a nation which *did* adopt a repeating rifle.
Man, that gun is in beautiful collection for a 150 year old rifle!
As a hobby machinist i can safely say that is spectacular machine work. Thats a lot of steps and individual op setup needed with what was available then for machine tools. You figure the round stuff is easily done on a lathe but all those groves and notches needed to be done on a shaper or groover. All done with steam powered, belt driven tools.
A bolt action rifle with a bolt action safety mechanism.
Yes.
Insane level of knowledge of this beautiful old rifle, another amazing video! Just learning constantly while being entertained simultaneously. The respect shown to the original engineer and craftspeople who put this together really comes through.
Cheers for showing us this mate, Australian Government strong armed us all into giving up our beloved rifles and firearms and massacred over a million of them live on TV, with a giant buzz saw probably 26 years ago now. I reckon it's probably the first live streamed massacre in Australian TV history, if not the world!
*Sigh*
This is the closest I'll ever get to a beautiful piece of blue steel and walnut and that goes double for one with history..
Greetings From Australia mate
Stay safe
Those sights are great!
This is a beautiful rifle. Both visually and mechanically. I only wish I had the money to buy it. I want it...
I would have guessed that it was made 50 years after it actually was. The fit and finish are amazing.
Fun fact: Ward Burton was a NASCAR driver in the 90s/2000s....
The level of machining and accuracy in those days is astonishing. Withouth electricity, just steampower and hand tools. The way this bolt is constructed is a work of art.
Are you ever going to do a video about bolt action shotguns? And the c-lect- choke that some of them have?
Awesome gun from such a transitional period!
Ward Burton is a (former) NASCAR driver who talks funny.
For it's age that's a very good looking rifle
I like this rifle, there is something special about simplicity and elegance.
Single shot rifles have a certain kind of grace,don´t they?
*looks at bolt assembly*
Agree to disagree?
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 I agree.
Maybe in construction but as Ian said in the video it is easy to assemble.
@@donovanchilton5817 Well, the bolt might be difficult to make but i don´t see it being problematic for the user ( never mind the slight unsafeness due to lack off cocking indicator). Have you ever disassembled a Mauser 95 bolt? It is just as complex.
Another great video from Ian
Please do a video on the Jarmann or Krag Petersson
Looks like Kijiro Nambu wasn't the first to come up with the idea of nesting the striker spring in a cavity in the back of the striker; Ward had him beat by over three decades. This rifle's bolt may not be quite as easy to strip as a Type 38's, but it still looks pretty simple, especially for the era.
Very interesting Rifle. Thanks for showing this Ward Burton Model 1871 Rifle, Gun Jesus !!!!!!!!!!!
Looks much more slick from technical point than trapdoors. Nice video, as usual!
Now I understand the TF2 Sniper Rifle a little more.
Little known fact: This rifle was made in the south side of the house. The Jeff - Burton rifle was created in the north side of the house
I get the reference! ;)
It's pronounced "wud buddon"
This just looks... wrong. The crazy long barrel and stock of a muzzle loader combined with a very nicely machined bolt action that wouldn't look out of place in WWI. This thing might be even easier to field strip than an AR.
Lol coming from a place that I can’t see or shoot this just wants me to do it more
what i always thought was just a Ward Burton nascar diver
a very pleasant sounding home improvement-esque gentleman for GUNS!!!!
That's a pretty darn nice rifle.
It has a manual safety and the lifted bolt is pretty easy to see… Should have just tought the men to use the safety when handling the guns
I just watched a Charles Bronson movie last night, "Red Sun" and the Army troops guarding the train had this rifle. I did not recognize it until I saw this video.
I honestly believed the krag jorgensen was the first American produced bolt action. Apparently , the concept had been around quite some time before. Very cool!
I am lucky enough to have 3 different versions of the Ward Burton in 50-70. I have a very rare carbine, a "long Tom" carbine, and a rifle. Perhaps some day i will make a shooting video of these?
The only thing holding me back is that the "long Tom" is missing the extractor pin. Anyone interested in seeing a shooting video of these remarkable Ward Burton's?
The 7th Cavalry had 56 of the carbines for the Yellowstone Expedition of the just over 300 that were made by Springfield.
This would have put America at or near the front of modern arms production at the time
So well design Ed hard to believe it was made in 1871
Just a beautiful rifle
that's a lot of machining for 1871. impressive
US: Do we want to adopt a new bolt action rifle or even just change over to smokeless powder like every other country in the world?
Nah theyre just gonna be obsolete after 5-10 years anyways. lets just keep using blackpowder trapdoors and then adopt the goofy krag-jorgenson rifle lol
A modification to the lower rear section of the bolt handle face could have allowed a sort of toggle-bar to protrude if it was cocked.
Dang, an old Nascar driver designed a bolt action? Its more of a Wahd Burton instead of Ward lol
It’s in remarkable condition.
Beautiful machining and design, if it was tweaked for the modern sport hunting market I'd happily go after deer with it every season
Ward Burton? The NASCAR driver?
Can you please review the Heavy Gustav for us?!
Hey love the channel was wondering if u could tell me what was the .50 cal special that paul Hogan used in lightning jack. You can youtube the movie and the scene is around 56.90mins would appreciate the help.
To think in 70 years we would drop a nuke is insane
Wasn't Ward Burton the guy from Wagon Train?
Caught it so quick it's not even on the video feed yet on his channel
I believe it's time for another french rifle. I love what you're doing Ian, it is time though to get back to your roots.
Wow, that is nice.
The bolt on this is remarkably modern for 1871
damn that gun looks good for its age and looks really well built i bet that if it had some kind of magazine maybe like a 3 stack mag it would have been looked at harder but going single shot the trapdoor is def faster in that department but still really nice gun
Dude I just was looking at like a 60 year old Ithaca side by side that’s in worse shape than this! Has it had anything replaced or restored cuz that rifle’s in impeccable shape being so old.
So how well did this rifle work with Cat Skid Steer Loaders?
(Sorry. Couldn’t help myself...)
Please do a Forgotten Weapons on the F90 Atrax Australian service rifle.
I like the way the USA flag changes to the year of the rife is in
Fluted bolt before it was cool!
Were old guns commonly made with no finish or does it just wear off over the years? Almost all from this period or before (even my inherited Winchester 1895) seem to have a similar bright metal finish.
Many times the weapons would be "polished" or military bright. It looked better on parade. Blueing firearms came later when there was a desire for more corrosion resistance and concealment. At least that is what I have gleaned from stuff I have read.
Got a question
Does it take glock mags?
Dang, what a cool rifle! Too bad it never made it into production.
Holy bolt action rifles, Batman!
It looks very good to me.
I'm surprised they didn't try to manufacture and sell that rifle as a hunting rifle. Can you imagine being a well-to-do gentleman back then, and pulling one of those from some satin-lined case in front of the other gentlemen?
I'm still waiting for the June Cleaver model 1959.
Nice rifle.
I've always wondered how many of these weapons you get to Shoot. And if you do we would love to see the footage.
It's been so many years, and that gash on the wall still hasn't been fixed.
It's bolt is the grandmutt of European design, mosin-mauser-lee thingamajig.
I can see why it was rejected but that rifle seems at least 20yrs ahead of it’s time.
Wudd Button?
One minute the wood looks brown. The second it's more orange. Is that a problem with white balance?