The
Dreyse needle-gun (
German Zündnadelgewehr, which translates roughly as "ignition needle
rifle") was a military
breechloading rifle, famous as the main infantry weapon of the
Prussians, who accepted it for service in 1841 as the
"leichtes Perkussionsgewehr Model 1841" (
"light percussion rifle Model 1841"), with the name chosen to hide the revolutionary nature of the new weapon. The name
"Zündnadelgewehr"/
"needle-gun" comes from its needle-like
firing pin, which passed through the
paper cartridge case to strike a
percussion cap at the
bullet base. The Dreyse rifle was also the first breech-loading rifle to use the
bolt action to open and close the chamber, executed by turning and pulling a bolt handle. It has a rate of fire of about 10–12 rounds per minute.