The worst gun of the Civil War? The .71 caliber “Garibaldi” rifle, aka Austrian M1849 Kammerbuchse

Civil War soldiers hated the “Austrian rifle,” for its old fashioned features and absolutely brutal recoil. But maybe the problem wasn’t with the gun itself, but how Civil War soldiers were using it?

I was really surprised by how well the M1849 Kammerbuchse shot using the original style ammunition. Have we misjudged the “Garibaldi rifle” for the last 163 years?

Also…. I think Spitzkugel is my new favorite German word!

Great video by Cap and Ball with the original Consol lock M1849: The first conical bullet  and the Mod...