POTD: A 30 Bore Rifle – The Calisher & Terry Breech Loading Carbine
Sam.S 10.11.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Calisher & Terry Breech Loading Carbine was an innovative percussion gun designed by William Terry and patented in the UK in 1855. Terry partnered with Bertram Calisher to promote the arm, seeing some British contracts. It loaded paper cartridges into a two-lug rotating bolt operated by pulling out the bolt handle. Around 20,000 Calisher & Terry carbines in .54 caliber (30 bore) were produced from 1860-1870. It saw limited British cavalry use along with adoption by police and colonial military units globally. However, an inability to transition to metallic cartridges led to its obsolescence when rimfires became widespread. For a time though, the straightforward bolt mechanism allowed rapid fire with weatherproof paper rounds. The Calisher & Terry filled an important niche during the transitional caplock to cartridge era. Its simple but effective bolt action was ahead of its time.
“This design was patented by Englishman William Terry on April 12, 1855. He then partnered with Bertram Calisher, and they received limited contracts with the British War Department. The arm on the right at the breech pulls out and is then used to rotate the bolt. This opens the port on the right side at the breech so a paper cartridge can be inserted. The bolt is then rotated back and the arm locked before firing using a conventional lock and percussion cap. This model was issued to the 18th Hussars, and the carbines were also used by sportsmen, colonial units, and police. Same are believed to have been used during the American Civil War, including by Confederate units. The design was made obsolete by the more widespread adoption of metallic cartridges.”
Lot 1417: Inscribed Calisher & Terry Breech Loading Percussion Carbine – Factory Engraved and Presentation Inscribed Calisher & Terry Breech Loading Percussion Carbine. (n.d.-w). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved October 10, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/78/1417/inscribed-calisher-and-terry-breech-loading-percussion-carbine.
