British Whitworth M1860 Sniper Rifle

By Crusader1307

Designed by The Parker-Hale Co. in England, The Model 1860 Sniper's Rifle was a hand-made weapon for specially trained Sharpshooters. Made in a .45 caliber lead round version, it featured a somewhat heavy hexagonal barrel. A brass lensatic telescope (3x to 20x) and (around 15 to 30 inches long in some cases), was mounted directly on top of the barrel. The Rifle had an effective range of up to 2,000 yards! Notoriously slow in reloading (as opposed to the traditional 2 rounds per minute), The Whitworth was rejected for use by The British Army. Many were however imported to America, and were the choice for both Union and Confederate Snipers in The American Civil War (1861-1865).