Roberts Breechloading Firearms

Book excerpt: In his day, Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts was better known as a U.S. Army combat commander than as a firearms inventor. Yet as an inventor he saw commercial success with his idea for converting muzzle-loading muskets into efficient breechloaders. This is the story of his efforts, beginning in 1859, to develop the ultimate breechloader - efforts that would lead to his successful design in 1866. He also achieved success with his patented design for cartridges. This book provides collectors and arms historians with extensive new information on the production and international use of the Roberts breechloader and its cartridges. "I highly recommend Roberts Breechloading Firearms as a significant work on a little-known weapons system of the Civil War and post-war years. This book is well researched, well written and well illustrated, and can be appreciated by those who enjoy reading about the history and development of American weaponry...The author is a recognized authority on the development of American firearms during the mid-19th Century, having researched and written several important books and numerous articles." Roy Marcot, Arms Historian and author of Spencer Repeating Firearms and Remington: America's Oldest Gunmaker "This new monograph from Ed Hull is a masterful description....Ed Hull is known for his painstaking and extensive research in obscure and hard to find sources to piece together the story of various small arms systems that have passed into history. He has certainly accomplished it again with Robert's Breechloading Firearms." Joe Poyer, author of The American Krag Rifle and Carbine and The .45-70 Springfield "Prominent and provably diligent researcher Edward Hull has once again written a good book...(on) breechloading cartridge arms. Author Hull has been researching this topic for over 10 years and...his research is first rate and his documentation rock solid. This book is very well footnoted and will probably be considered the final word on Benjamin Roberts and his inventions. It would make for a wonderful addition to the library of the arms collector...." Frank Graves, Arms Heritage magazine "Drawing on a variety of historical sources, Hull weaves a compelling history of the process and fully documents the developmental sequencing of General Roberts' design...The end result has been the creation of a truly excellent monograph about the inventor, his work and the structural brilliance of his design. "Through clearly written technical descriptions of the various designs...and most especially by the incorporation of illusgrations showing their salient features, collectors are well served b Hull's work. As such it must be recommended to anyone interested in the American firearms industry of the technical development of arms in general." Herb Houze, Man-At-Arms magazine