Editing Rifle (section)

===Repeating rifle===
{{main|Repeating rifle}}

The mid-century drive for increased rates of fire led to the development of the first [[repeating rifle]]s, a type of breechloader that can load multiple cartridges ahead of time to be stored on the weapon itself. This allowed for a continuous burst of fire during which the user could mechanically cycle in unused rounds without stopping to reload. Various enduring mechanisms would be invented, including [[bolt action]], [[List of pump action rifles|pump action]], [[lever action]], and [[revolver|revolving]].

====Magazine-fed rifle====
Bolt, lever, and pump actions all allowed for the incorporation of a [[magazine (firearms)|magazine]] to store pre-loaded shells. The [[Spencer repeating rifle]] was a breech-loading, manually-operated lever action rifle that was adopted by the United States. Over 20,000 were used during the American Civil War. It was the first adoption of a removable [[magazine (firearms)|magazine]]-fed infantry rifle. The design was completed by [[Christopher Miner Spencer|Christopher Spencer]] in 1860.<ref>{{cite book |title=Almanac of American Military History | author= Spencer Tucker |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year= 2013 |page= 1028 |isbn=978-1598845303}}</ref> It used copper [[rimfire ammunition|rimfire cartridges]] stored in a removable seven-round tube magazine, enabling the rounds to be fired one after another. A rifleman could exchange an emptied magazine for another.<ref>
{{cite web |title=Back to Basics: Center-fire Cartridge Cases |url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/11/1/back-to-basics-center-fire-cartridge-cases/ |access-date=2021-03-15 |website=www.americanrifleman.org}}</ref>
The [[Winchester rifle|Winchester repeating rifle]] was invented in 1866 as a lever action.<ref name="npr.org"/>

====Revolving rifle====
{{further information|Revolver|Repeating rifle#Revolver action}}

[[File:Colt Roots British Carbine.JPG|thumb|300px|Colt Model 1855 Carbine]]
Revolving rifles were an attempt to increase the rate of fire of rifles by combining them with the revolving firing mechanism that had been developed earlier for revolving pistols. Colt began experimenting with revolving rifles in the early-19th century, and other manufacturers like Remington later experimented with them as well. The [[Colt revolving rifle|Colt Revolving Rifle Model 1855]], an early repeating rifle, became the first to be used by the U.S. Government and saw some limited action during the [[American Civil War]]. Revolvers, both rifles and pistols, tend to spray fragments of metal from the front of the cylinder.<ref>{{cite web |title=Revolving Rifles |url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/category/rifles/revolving-rifle/ |access-date=2021-03-15|website=Forgotten Weapons}}</ref>