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Making of .43 Spanish cartridges in Union Metallic Cartridge Co. factory at Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1877

The .43 Spanish was a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Remington designers around 1867.[2] It was used in early rolling block rifles that Remington manufactured for the government of Spain. The cartridge is also referred to as the .433 Spanish,[3] "11mm Spanish", and identical cartridges for the US Peabody rifle were marked "U.M.C. 43-77".[4]

History

The .43 Spanish cartridge was produced after Spain purchased the newly invented rolling-block action single-shot rifle. The breech-loading firearm, which was marketed by Sam Remington, impressed the Spaniards after their own evaluation.[5] In 1869, the Spanish government put in an order for 10,000 rifles.[6] In addition to the firearms, they wanted their own cartridge and Remington developed the .43 Spanish.[6] It was produced in two variants: the bottleneck case .43 Spanish (11.15x57mmR Remington Spanish) and the straight-wall case .43 Spanish Reformado (11.4x57mmR Reformado).[2]

The cartridge was very similar to the .44-77 Sharps cartridge, except for the difference in their case dimensions.[7] The Spanish military version of the cartridge was later upgraded in 1889 to a "heavier, brass-jacketed reformado bullet".[8] While Remington stopped manufacturing the cartridge in 1918, its use in the United States became widespread after World War II because it was sold as a surplus.[3]

"Poison bullet"

The .43 Spanish used a .454 in (11.5 mm) diameter bullet that weighed 396 gr (25.7 g). Its 1,280 ft/s (390 m/s) was powered by 74 gr (4.8 g) of black powder.[5] Instead of solid lead bullet, the .43 Spanish used a brass-jacket bullet, which was considered unusual because cupronickel, gilding metal, and copper clad steel were preferred for bullet jackets during the period.[9] It was also the reason why American soldiers suspected that the Spaniards used poison in their bullet during the Spanish-American War.[9] It corroded in the tropics, producing a powdery pale green verdigris once they are exposed to high humidity or salty sea air over time.[9] The brass component, however, improved bullet penetration.[9]

Firearms chambered

References

  1. ^ a b Roy Martin Marcot (2005). The History of Remington Firearms. Lyons Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-59228-690-4.
  2. ^ a b Thombs, David A., and Barrett, Stephen P. The internet and firearms research with reference to the .43 Spanish Remington Rolling-Block and its ammunition, The Journal of the Historical Breechloading Small Arms Association, Vol.4, No.4, pp. 14–23
  3. ^ a b ".43 Spanish". Roberson Cartridge Company. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  4. ^ Fred A. Datig (1958). Cartridges for Collectors: Center fire, rimfire, patent ignition. Borden Publishing Company.
  5. ^ a b "Thoughts on the .43 spanish and the Remington Rolling-Block Rifle | Black Powder Cartridge". www.blackpowdercartridge.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  6. ^ a b David F. Butler (1971). United States Firearms: the First Century, 1776–1875. Winchester Press. ISBN 9780876910306.
  7. ^ Flatnes, Oyvind (2013). From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms. Crowood. ISBN 978-1-84797-594-2.
  8. ^ Alejandro de Quesada (2012). The Spanish–American War and Philippine Insurrection. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-78096-353-2.
  9. ^ a b c d Rottman, Gordon L. (2013). The Book of Gun Trivia: Essential Firepower Facts. Osprey Publishing. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-1-78200-621-3.
  10. ^ Philip Peterson (2011). Standard Catalog of Military Firearms: The Collector's Price and Reference Guide. F+W Media. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-4402-2881-0.
  11. ^ Jerry Lee (2013). The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2013. Krause Publications. p. 1229. ISBN 978-1-4402-3543-6.
  12. ^ Dan Shideler (2008). Standard Catalog Of Remington Firearms. F+W Media. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-4402-2699-1.

Further reading

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.43_Spanish