Turkish Modified Winchester 1866 from the Russo Turkish WarIn 1877 the Russians invaded the Ottoman

Turkish Modified Winchester 1866 from the Russo Turkish WarIn 1877 the Russians invaded the Ottoman Empire in hopes of regaining territory lost in the Balkans during the Crimean War.  The Russian Empire sent an army of 300,000 troops plus tens of thousands Romanian and Bulgarian allies, the Turks had an army of less than 200,000.The Turks however had a little surprise in store.  The Ottoman Army was armed with the Winchester 1866.  The Model 1866 was a lever action repeating rifle that was made in the US and was a descendent of the famed Henry Repeating Rifle.  Chambered in .44 rimfire, the Winchester lacked the range of most military single shot rifles, but had a 15 round tubular magazine allowing much greater firepower. The picture above is an example of a Winchester that the Turks modified for even greater firepower.  The magazine and barrel was often extended to 20 or even 30 rounds and the rifle may be mounted on a bipod or tripod.  Due to excessive heat buildup a water sleeve is added to allow better cooling.At long ranges the Turks would engage with large caliber single shot rifles, but when the Russians would close in, they would switch off and fire their Winchesters.  The Russians, who were armed with single shot KRNKA and Berdan Rifles (also made in US), were cut to ribbons.  The Russian Army and allies were suffer high casualties throughout the war.The Russo-Turkish war would end in a truce in 1878 after western powers intervened.  Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Montenegro would be recognized as independent nations.  While Russia technically won, capturing significant territories in the region, it was forced to return those territories to the Turks by France and Britain.  Despite such a military disaster, Russia would continue to use their single shot rifle until adopting the Mosin Nagant around the turn of the century.  The rest of the world would reconsider the role of firepower on the battlefield. -- source link

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