Morland-Harry Rifle
Morland-Harry Rifle | |
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Type | Service rifle |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1863-1894 |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | Concordian Civil War Nihhonese Rebellion of 1868 First Lucio-Auro War Second Lucio-Auro War |
Production history | |
Designer | Friedrich Morland |
Designed | 1862 |
Manufacturer | Various |
Produced | 1863–1889 |
No. built | 1,000,000 |
Specifications | |
Weight | 8 pounds 7 ounces (3.83 kg) (unloaded), 9 pounds 4.75 ounces (4.22 kg) (with sword bayonet) |
Length | 49 inches (1,245 mm) |
The Morland-Harry Rifle is a breech-loading single-shot lever-actuated rifle that was used by the Lucis Army. It first entered service in 1863, replacing both the M1853 Enfield Rifle and the Smith-Enfield Rifle. It was used extensively during the Concordian Civil War where it proved its worth against existing muzzle-loaders that the Concordian Republicans had. Designed by Erebonian enginner, Friedrich Morland, it was combined with polygonal rifling by Alexander George and it combined the dropping-block action first developed by George Dreyse.
The Morland-Harry rifle was used throughout the Lucis Empire for 25 years. While the Smith was the first breechloader firing a metallic cartridge in regular Lucis service, the Morland was designed from the outset as a breechloader and was both faster firing and had a longer range.
The creation of such a rifle came from the Lucis Army's experience during the Lucis-Erebonian Wars of 1850-1858, where Lucian forces found their rifles inadequate against the bolt-action armed Erebonian forces with their M1841 Leichtes Perkussionsgewehr. While it did not adopt the bolt-action technology, the Morland-Harry rifle remained popular with the Lucis Army for its reliability. In 1888, it was replaced by the Lee-Morrison rifle, which would later result in the development of the famous and legendary Lee-Enfield.