.43 Spanish

The .43 Spanish was a centerfire firearms cartridge developed by Remington designers around 1867.[2] It was used in early rolling block rifles that Remington manufactured for the government of Spain. The cartridge is also referred to as the .433 Spanish,[3] "11mm Spanish", and identical cartridges for the US Peabody rifle were marked "U.M.C. 43-77".[4]

.43 Spanish
11mm Spanish
11.15×58mmR Spanish Remington
U.M.C. 43-77
TypeRifle
Specifications
Bullet diameter11.15 mm
Neck diameterBottleneck[1]
Overall length2.845 in
Primer typeBerdan
Making of .43 cartridges in Union Metallic Cartridge Co. factory at Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1877

History

The .43 Spanish cartridge was produced after Spain purchased the newly invented rolling-block action. The breech-loading firearm, which was marketed by Sam Remington, impressed the Spaniards after their own evaluation.[5] In 1869, the Spanish government put in an order for 10,000 rifles.[6] Aside from the firearms, however, they also wanted their own cartridge and Remington manufactured the .43 Spanish.[6] It was produced in two variants: the bottlenecked .43 Spanish (11.15 x 57R Remington Spanish) and the straight-walled case .43 Spanish Reformado (11.4 x 57R Reformado).[2]

The cartridge was almost similar to the .44-77 cartridge except for the difference in their diameters.[7] The Spanish military version of the cartridge was later upgraded in 1889 to a "heavier, brass-jacketed reformado bullet".[8] While Remington stopped manufacturing the cartridge in 1918, its use in the United States became widespread after World War II because it was sold as a surplus.[9]

"Poison bullet"

The .43 Spanish used a .454-inch diameter bullet that weighed 396 grains. Its 1,280 fps was powered by 74 grains of powder.[5] Instead of solid lead bullet, the .43 Spanish used a brass-jacket bullet, which was considered unusual because cupronickel, gilding metal, and copper clad steel were preferred for bullet jackets during the period.[10] It was also the reason why American soldiers suspected that the Spaniards used poison in their bullet during the Spanish-American War.[10] It corroded in the tropics, producing a powdery pale green verdigris once they are exposed to high humidity or salty sea air over time.[10] The brass component, however, improved bullet penetration.[10]

Firearms chambered

References
  1. Roy Martin Marcot (2005). The History of Remington Firearms. Lyons Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-59228-690-4.
  2. Thombs, David A., and Barrett, Stephen P. The internet and firearms research with reference to the .43 Spanish Remington Rolling-Block and its ammunition, The Journal of the Historical Breechloading Small Arms Association, Vol.4, No.4, pp. 14–23
  3. ".43 Spanish". Roberson Cartridge Company. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  4. Fred A. Datig (1958). Cartridges for Collectors: Center fire, rimfire, patent ignition. Borden Publishing Company.
  5. "Thoughts on the .43 spanish and the Remington Rolling-Block Rifle | Black Powder Cartridge". www.blackpowdercartridge.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  6. David F. Butler (1971). United States Firearms: the First Century, 1776–1875. Winchester Press.
  7. Flatnes, Oyvind (2013). From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms. Crowood. ISBN 978-1-84797-594-2.
  8. Alejandro de Quesada (2012). The Spanish–American War and Philippine Insurrection. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-78096-353-2.
  9. ".43 Spanish". Roberson Cartridge Company. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  10. Rottman, Gordon L. (2013). The Book of Gun Trivia: Essential Firepower Facts. Osprey Publishing. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-1-78200-621-3.
  11. Philip Peterson (2011). Standard Catalog of Military Firearms: The Collector's Price and Reference Guide. F+W Media. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-4402-2881-0.
  12. Jerry Lee (2013). The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2013. Krause Publications. p. 1229. ISBN 978-1-4402-3543-6.
  13. Dan Shideler (2008). Standard Catalog Of Remington Firearms. F+W Media. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-4402-2699-1.

Further reading
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