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Krag-Petersson Model 1876

History of the Krag-Petersson Model 1876 Rifle

O.H.J. Krag and A. Petersson began designing the Krag-Petersson Model 1876 in 1872. After developing 17 prototypes, they sold the rifle to the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1876. Norway employed 975 active duty units and 30 service test-only units, and an additional 115 rifles made for trials were located in Denmark. The Model 1876 replaced Switzerland's aging "Vetterli" rifles from 1867 and was one of the first rifles with repeated firing capabilities to be adopted by major world powers.

The rifle utilized a "drop block" method, allowing firing from a 10-round tubular magazine, and featured manual operation for firing, cartridge insertion, and casing ejection. This design was highly popular in the late 19th century but was later replaced by manually operated bolt-action systems. The Model 1876 was 37.44 inches long, making it suitable for field use, and could fire the 12.17x44mm rimfire cartridge at a rate of 11 rounds in 25 seconds. It had an effective range of up to 900 yards, a reliable aiming system, and a muzzle velocity of nearly 1,260 feet per second.

While the Model 1876 proved to be a reliable and accurate long gun, it had limited appeal outside of Norway, with only a few copies remaining in circulation today. It represented an early example of a rifle with repeated firing capabilities and played a significant role in the late 19th century, before being gradually replaced by modern solutions in the 20th century.