The M-1870 Berdan II Infantry Rifle 

 

 

 

Berdan II Rifle Technical Data

Designation:

Informally called the 'Berdanka'

Manufacturer:

Tula, Izhevsk, and Sestroretsk Arsenals

Year Adopted:

1870

Operational Status:

Russia - No longer in service. 
Was used well into the Great War by Russia, but many were captured by Austria and Germany.

Bulgaria - Adopted in 1880, no longer in use.

Finland - No longer in service.
Was issued to reserve units during the Winter War and removed from inventory in 1955.

Ammunition

10.75 x 58R

(.42 caliber cartridge)

Method of Operation

Single shot, breech loading, bolt action rifle

Selector

None

Weight:

4.3 kilograms

(9 pounds, 7.7 ounces)

Range:
     Effective:
     Maximum:

     

450 arshens

 (320 Meters) (350 Feet)
4000 arshens (2845 Meters) (3111 Feet)

Length:
          Overall:
          Barrel:
   
134.6 centimeters 53 inches
82.6 centimeters 32.5 inches
Sights:

Unprotected blade front sight, Tangent rear sight

Maximum Sight Range:

1,500 arshins (1067 meters) (3501 feet)

Rate of Fire:

Uncertain at Present

Rifling Grooves:

6, right hand twist

Muzzle velocity:

427 meters/second (1400 ft/second)

 

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The Berdan II Rifle
in Pictures		 Development,
History, and Use		 Return to Weapons Index
Ammunition The Designer

 

Sources Cited

(1) Drury, Ian and Raffaele Ruggeri, The Russo-Turkish War 1877, Reed International Books, 1994. Print.
(2) Bolotin D.N., Soviet Small-Arms and Ammunition, Finnish Arms Museum Foundation, 1995, Print.
(3) Menning, Bruce W., Bayonets before Bullets, The Imperial Russian Army 1861-1914, Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN,  1992. Print
(4) Myatt, Major F., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 19th Century Firearms, Salamander Books, 1979. Print.