Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This is an example of a needle-fire conversion of a French Model 1822 percussion musket, likely carried out in Paris in the early 1870s based on a patent by L. Merckelbagh. The original muzzle-loading rifle has been modified with a hinged bolt action and needle-fire mechanism. The conversion involves a spring-loaded firing pin that protrudes through the breech to strike a paper cartridge primer when the trigger is pulled. Very little is known about Merckelbagh or the commercial success of this conversion system. These conversions seem to have been a limited attempt to modernize older muskets but did not see widespread adoption, with the metallic-cartridge bolt-actions becoming the dominant technology by the 1870s.
“Manufactured using a Belgian made percussion musket as the basis, this arm has been converted into a single shot bolt action rifle by means of a system developed by L. Merckelbagh; information on Merckelbagh and his design are scarce, though his work is believed to be a counterpart to the American Allin “trapdoor” system and the Snider conversion, a means of taking then-obsolete muzzle loading muskets and rifles and giving them new lease of life as breechloading arms. Some information suggests that rifles in this style may have been acquired by the French during the Franco-Prussian War, as a supplement to their Chassepot and Tabatiere rifles. A large opening has been made at the rear of the barrel to accommodate a bolt assembly and a transfer bar set up positioned similar to the original percussion nipple, so as to be struck by the percussion hammer. “
Lot 414: Merckelbagh/Bertrand Conversion Single Shot Needle Fire Rifle – Extremely Rare Merckelbagh/Bertrand Prototype Breech Loading Conversion Needle Fire Service Rifle. (n.d.-b). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/76/414/merckelbaghbertrand-conversion-single-shot-needle-fire-rifle.
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