Rifled Breech Loader - Hotchkiss and Nordenfelt Sliding-wedge Quickfiring Guns

Hotchkiss and Nordenfelt Sliding-wedge Quickfiring Guns

From the mid-1880s Hotchkiss and Nordenfelt introduced 47-mm and 57-mm guns which loaded ammunition as a single cartridge with projectile, cartridge case and primer in a single unit as with modern rifle cartridges. The cartridge case sealed the breech on firing and a vertical sliding wedge (block) locked it in place. These new guns incorporated recoil control devices which facilitated consistency of aim, allowed single-motion loading and fired as soon as the cartridge was inserted and ejected it after firing : hence the name quick-firing. This set a new standard for artillery, and made firing cycles measured in seconds rather than minutes possible.