The .43 Spanish / 11.15x57mmR was a

centerfire Two rounds of .357 Magnum, a centerfire cartridge; notice the circular primer in the center A center-fire (or centerfire) is a type of metallic cartridge used in firearms, where the primer is located at the center of the base of its casing (i. ...

rifle cartridge developed by Remington designers around 1867.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 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, "11mm Spanish", and identical cartridges for the US Peabody rifle were marked "U.M.C. 43-77".

History

The .43 Spanish cartridge was produced after Spain purchased the newly invented rolling-block action

single-shot In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have ...

rifle. The

breech-loading A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition from the breech end of the barrel (i.e., from the rearward, open end of the gun's barrel), as opposed to a muzzleloader, in which the user loads the ammunition from the ( muzzle ...

firearm, which was marketed by Sam Remington, impressed the Spaniards after their own evaluation. In 1869, the Spanish government put in an order for 10,000 rifles. In addition to the firearms, they wanted their own cartridge and Remington developed the .43 Spanish. It was produced in two variants: the bottleneck case .43 Spanish (11.15x57mmR Remington Spanish) and the straight-wall case .43 Spanish Reformado (11.4x57mmR Reformado). The cartridge was very similar to the .44-77 Sharps cartridge, except for the difference in their case dimensions. The Spanish military version of the cartridge was later upgraded in 1889 to a "heavier, brass-jacketed ''reformado'' bullet". While Remington stopped manufacturing the cartridge in 1918, its use in the United States became widespread after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

because it was sold as a surplus.

"Poison bullet"

The .43 Spanish used a diameter bullet that weighed . Its was powered by of

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

. 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. It was also the reason why American soldiers suspected that the Spaniards used poison in their bullet during the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...

. It corroded in the tropics, producing a powdery pale green

verdigris Verdigris () is a common name for any of a variety of somewhat toxic copper salt (chemistry), salts of acetic acid, which range in colour from green to a blue-green, bluish-green depending on their chemical composition.H. Kühn, Verdigris and Cop ...

once they are exposed to high humidity or salty sea air over time. The brass component, however, improved bullet penetration.

Firearms chambered

* Argentine Modelo 1879, rifle and carbine * 1869 Spanish Peabody * Whitney–Burgess–Morse lever-action rifle (military version) * Model 1879 Remington–Lee

Variants

Dimensions

References

External links

.43 Spanish Remington
''Cartridge Collector'' {{DEFAULTSORT:43 Spanish Pistol and rifle cartridges Rimmed cartridges Military cartridges