Exhibit of the Month - Jun. '24

A big problem was that the muzzle-loading rifles could only be loaded while standing. When lying down or kneeling, the rifle had to be dragged through the dirt, although this was sometimes impossible. This meant that the soldier was a good target while standing and could only fire the first row.

In 1812, Samuel Johann Pauli developed the first breech-loading rifle. He also developed the first cartridge with the newly discovered "mercury fulminate". For the first time, an ignition element, powder and the bullet were combined together as a cartridge. Unfortunately, this weapon was not fully developed and was also very prone to malfunctions and dangerous. The so-called "priming pill" was on the outside of the cartridge and tended to self-ignite. The rifle was rejected as unsuitable and was not further developed.

During this time, 1809-1814, Johann Nikolaus Dreyse was in Pauli's rifle factory, "traveling" and learning. After returning to Sömmerda, he co-founded a factory for iron goods and devoted himself to the development and improvement of rifles. The decisive factor for the later "Dreyse needle gun" was his discovery that mercury fulminate could be ignited not only by impact but also by stabbing. His "standard cartridge" also included the ignition element mercury fulminate, powder and lead bullet, but the ignition device was moved inside and was ignited by stabbing through the powder.

However, it was not until 1836, after many attempts, that a usable rifle was handed over to the Prussian army for testing purposes and introduced into the army in 1840.

If you want to find out how the rifle contributed significantly to the founding of the German Empire, visit us.