Dreyse needle gun The Dreyse needle - gun ( German " Zündnadelgewehr " , which translates roughly as " needle ignition 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 . The rifle was the invention of the gunsmith Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse ( 1787 – 1867 ) who , beginning in 1824 , had conducted multiple experiments and in 1836 produced the complete needle - gun . Dreyse was ennobled in 1864 . Usage and history . The first types of needle - gun made by Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse were muzzle - loading , the novelty lying in the long needle driven by a coiled conchoidal spring which fired the internal percussion cap on the base of the sabot . It was his adoption of the bolt - action breechloading principle combined with this igniter system which gave the rifle its military potential , allowing a much faster rate of fire . Although being accepted for service in 1841 it wasn ' t introduced into service in Prussia until 1848 , then later into the military forces of many other German states , save for Austria . The employment of the needle - gun radically changed military tactics in the 19th century . The needle - gun first made its appearance in street fighting during the May Uprising in Dresden in 1849 . It also played an important role in the Second war of Schleswig in 1864 . The rifle saw its heaviest use in the Austro - Prussian War of 1866 . Because the breech - loader made it possible for a Prussian soldier to fire five ( or more ) shots , even while lying on the ground , in the time that it took his Austrian muzzle - loading counterpart to reload while standing , it was seen as allowing the Prussians to sweep the field . One observer proclaimed , " the needle - gun is the king . " The success of the Dreyse needle gun spurred subsequent developments in firearms technology and , before the start of the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 - 71 , the French introduced the Chassepot rifle . Although the Prussians won the war the Chassepot proved superior in virtually all respects compared to the needle - gun , which was slowly becoming obsolete . With the subsequent unification of Germany the Dreyse needle - gun was replaced by the Mauser Model 1871 rifle in German service . Ammunition and Mechanism . The cartridge used with this rifle consisted of the paper case , the bullet , the percussion cap and the black powder charge . The 15 . 4 mm ( 0 . 61 in ) bullet was shaped like an acorn , with the broader end forming a point , and the primer attached to its base . The bullet was held in a paper case known as a sabot - which separated from the bullet as it exited the muzzle . Between this inner lining and the outer case was the powder charge , consisting of 4 . 8 g ( 74 grains ) of black powder . The upper end of the paper case is rolled up and tied . Upon release of the trigger , the point of the needle pierces the rear of the cartridge , passes through the powder and hits the primer fixed to the base of the sabot . Thus the burn - front in the black powder charge passes from the front to the rear . This front - to - rear burn pattern minimizes the effect seen in rear - igniting cartridges where a proportion of the powder at the front of the charge is forced down and out of the barrel to burn wastefully in the air as muzzle flash . It also ensures that the whole charge burns under the highest possible pressure , theoretically , minimising unburnt residues . Consequently a smaller charge can be used to obtain the same velocity as a rear - ignited charge of the same bullet calibre and weight . It also increases the handling security of the cartridge , since it is virtually impossible to set the primer off accidentally . The Dreyse rifle was an example of a caseless ammunition rifle in the sense that it was designed so that the soldier had to load the rifle , but not expel the fired case . The case was in fact made from paper ( as were many of the first cartridges ) , so it burnt entirely when the round was fired . The second innovation that made the Dreyse effectively a caseless ammunition rifle was that the primer was physically connected to the bullet , so it left the rifle together with it . There was also a blank cartridge developed for the needle - gun . It was shorter and lighter than the live round , since it lacked the projectile , but was otherwise similar in construction and powder load . Limitations . The needle - gun proved to have numerous defects . Its effective range was very short compared to that of the muzzle - loading rifles of the day , and conspicuously so as against the " Chassepot " . A significant amount of gas escaped at the breech when the rifle was fired with a paper cartridge , neutralizing the advantage gained from the novel front - ignited powder charge . An improved model , giving greater muzzle velocity and increased speed in loading , was introduced later but soon replaced by the Mauser rifle . The breech would fail to close entirely after several shots due to the lack of an effective obturation seal . This caused the gas escaping from the breech to burn the skin of the soldier . Soldiers could not aim accurately without burning themselves and were forced to fire from the hip . The placement of the primer directly behind the bullet meant the firing needle was enclosed in black powder when the gun was fired , causing stress to the pin , which would often break after as few as 200 rounds had been fired and render the rifle useless until it could be replaced . Soldiers were provided with two replacement needles for that purpose . Because the rifle used black powder , residue accumulated at the back of the barrel , making cleaning necessary after about 60 – 80 shots . This was not a large problem because the individual soldier carried fewer cartridges than that and Dreyse created an " air chamber " by having a protruding needle tube ( the Chassepot also had this , but it was more likely to jam after fewer shots because of its smaller - diameter chamber ) . Comparison with contemporary rifles . The only contemporary rifle which it can be compared to is the Norwegian Kammerlader — the only other breech loader adopted for service in the 1840s . Appearances in popular media . The Prussian Needle gun appears in Ensemble Studio ' s " Age of Empires III " in the hands of " Needle Gunners " , who act as German skirmisher units . Prominent Austrians frequently betray a subtle and often humorous obsession with the Prussian Needle gun in Robert Musil ' s " The Man Without Qualities " .