The Krag-Petersson rifle was the first repeating rifle adopted by the
armed forces of Norway, and one of the first repeating arms adopted
anywhere in the world. Developed by Ole Herman Johannes Krag, the
action of the Krag-Petersson was uniquely actuated by the oversized
hammer. Another distinguishing feature is that the cartridge rising
from the magazine is not seated automatically, but has to be pushed
into the breech of the rifle. Testing by the Norwegian military
revealed that the Krag-Peterssen was a robust, accurate and quick
firing weapon, and the Royal Norwegian Navy adopted the rifle in 1876.
The rifle was also extensively tested by other nations, but not
adopted. After being phased out around 1900, the remaining rifles were
sold off to civilians, and often extensively rebuilt. Today it is so
difficult to find one in original condition that the Krag-Petersson
has been described as "the rifle everybody has heard about, but hardly
anybody has ever seen". It was the first rifle designed by Ole H. J.
Krag that was adopted by an armed force.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krag-Petersson
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
Giovanni Battista Pamphili became Pope Innocent X.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Innocent_X)
1835:
Aboard the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin reached the Galápagos
Islands, where he began to develop his theories of evolution.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal%C3%A1pagos_Islands)
1916:
Tanks, the "secret weapons" of the British Army during World War I,
were first used in combat at the Battle of the Somme.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme_%281916%29)
1935:
Nazi Germany enacted the Nuremberg Laws, which deprived German Jews
of citizenship, and adopted a new national flag emblazoned with a
swastika.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_policy_of_Nazi_Germany)
1950:
Korean war: U.S. armed forces landed at Incheon, Korea.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_war)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"Crime is terribly revealing. Try and vary your methods as you will,
your tastes, your habits, your attitude of mind, and your soul is
revealed by your actions." -- Agatha Christie
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie)