Leonard Percussion Target

Sharpshooter / Sniper Rifle

United States | 1860

"The Leonard Percussion Target Rifle was one of several long arms used in the American Civil War for sniping and sharpshooting."

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Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/05/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

There were several major designs adopted for sharpshooters in the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the most famous of these was arguably the J.F. Brown rifle. Another competing design stemmed from Artemis Leonard and Leonard Percussion Target Rifle. Leonard arranged the Leonard & Sons gun-making firm our of Saxons River in Vermont and manufactured weapons from this location from the period spanning 1840 until 1860. With the arrival of war "between the states" in 1861, his precision weapon was in high demand.

The Leonard design was reminiscent of the J.F. Brown design. It featured a typical long gun form of the period with a long-running barrel and wooden stock. The forend was shortened under the barrel assembly which, itself, was oversized, octagonal in shape and of 31" length. The grip handle angled downward and contoured to the shoulder stock. The trigger unit was set in its usual place under the receiver. The key element of the Leonard gun was the optics set fitted over the gun and this ran over the length of the entire barrel assembly and action. The ramrod was set under the barrel, ahead of the forend, as it ran through a pair of channels securing it in place.

These guns were given a fine finish complete with engraving and some decoration, particularly the elegant shaping at the trigger guard. The action was of percussion cap with an exposed hammer and muzzle-loading of the .48 caliber bullet.

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Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Leonard Percussion Target. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

5
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire

Physical
The physical qualities of the Leonard Percussion Target. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

1,020 mm
40.16 in
O/A Length

787 mm
30.98 in
Barrel Length

30.86 lb
14.00 kg
Weight

Percussion Cap; External Hammer; Muzzle-Loading; Single-Shot
Action

.48
Caliber(s)

Single-Shot
Feed

Telescope assembly fitted over rifle.
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Leonard Percussion Target Sharpshooter / Sniper Rifle family line.

Leonard Percussion Target Rifle - Base Series Name.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Leonard Percussion Target. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): Leonard and Sons (Saxons River, Vermont) - USA

[ United States ]

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Going Further...
The Leonard Percussion Target Sharpshooter / Sniper Rifle appears in the following collections:

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ARMS

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