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Caption: British Westley-Richards breech­loading rifle, used by the Montreal Militia in 1867

Westley-Richards is a famous British gunmaking firm based in Birmingham. In 1858 they patented a 'capping breechloader' system that was adopted in 1861 for British cavalry carbines. The breech opened and closed by moving a long arm hinged to the rear of the barrel. In 1867, units of the Montreal Militia ordered .45 calibre capping breech-loading rifles from the firm to equip themselves with something more advanced than the model 1853 Enfield muzzle-loading rifles then on issue to the Canadian militia. This sort of emergency fix was a reaction to the threat of raids by Fenian insurgents armed with American Spencer breechloading rifles. In fact, the Canadian government purchase a quantity of Spencer rifles as well. These temporary expedients were no longer needed once the Snider-Enfield rifle was introduced in 1866. (Parks Canada)