The M-1870 Berdan II
Infantry Rifle in Pictures
(Page 2)

 

 

This section has many high detail pictures of the M-1870 Berdan II infantry rifle.  Our example was manufactured in Sestroretsk in 1884.  Virtually every section of the weapon has been photographed and described. To go to a specific part of the weapon simply click on the desired section below.

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M-1870 Berdan II
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Barrel, Muzzle, and Barrel Markings

Here we have a series of photographs of the barrel of the Berdan II.  The first picture to the right is of the muzzle.  In that picture you can also see the bayonet lug and cleaning rod.

The two pictures below show give an overview of the barrel.  The first picture shows the rear half of the barrel, while the on on the right shows the  front half.  Like many weapons of the period it did not have a handguard.

Arsenal markings can be found along the top rear of the barrel.  In our example the weapon is marked with the year of production, in this case 1884.  Following that is the factory name, Sestroresk.  The serial number of the weapon is listed after the year and factory markings.

 

 

The Front Sight

In this picture you can see the front sight of the Berdan II.  It is a simple unprotected blade that is very similar to those used on the later M-91 rifle.

 

 

The Rear Sight

In this series of photographs you can see the rear sight of the rifle.  The top picture shows it from the side along with the numerous small markings stamped on it.

The picture below shows the rear sight folded down which is used for shooting out to 1500 arshens.  For long range shooting (from 1600 to 2200 arshens) the sight is flipped up.  Unfortunately our example is missing the adjustable bar that is used to change the sighting range.

 

 

The Rifle and Bayonet

In this section you can see how the bayonet attaches to the rifle.  The picture to the right shows the bayonet lug which is located on the right side of the barrel.

Below you can see bayonet attached to the rifle from above, the serial number of the bayonet can also be seen.  The picture on the lower right shows the attached bayonet from the side.  In both pictures the locking ring of the bayonet is clearly visible.  More about the bayonet can be found here.

 

 

Cleaning Rod Markings

An interesting feature about the Berdan II is that its cleaning rod is numbered.  The number on ours does not match the rest of the rifle's serial numbers, but this is fairly normal.  The numbers on this cleaning rod are 25430.