Westley Richards 'Monkey Tail' .45 inch carbine, Orange Free State, 1883

Made by Westley Richards and Company, Birmingham, 1883.

This carbine is a capping breechloader which uses a paper cartridge and percussion cap. The nickname 'Monkey Tail', comes from the distinct shape of the receiver which is raised to enable the cartridge to be inserted. This example of the weapon is a military model exported to the Orange Free State.

Although Westley Richards exported many Martini-action carbines in the same year, the 'Monkey Tail' remained popular with the Boers throughout the 1880s and early a890s. The action and lock of this trade carbine were very similar to those used on the British Army's cavalry carbine in the 1880s, but the barrel is much longer, giving the weapon the dimensions of a short rifle.