Westley Richards Monkey Tail

About the Westley Richards Monkey Tail

The Westley Richards Monkey Tail is a single-shot capping breech-loading carbine patented by Westley Richards in 1858. It loaded a self-consuming combustible paper cartridge in .451 calibre that was ignited by a conventional external percussion cap, while a distinctive rearward-curving breech lever, nicknamed the 'monkey tail', pivoted up and back to seal the breech. Adopted as a British cavalry carbine in the 1860s and by Portugal, it became famous as a favoured arm of Boer commandos during the South African wars for its reliability, accuracy, and rapid reloading from horseback.

Carried in saddle buckets by Boer commandos who could reload and fire it from horseback, the Monkey Tail's combustible paper cartridge and quick-swinging breech lever made it one of the most respected mounted carbines of the percussion-to-cartridge transition era.

Westley Richards Monkey Tail specifications

The 'monkey tail' nickname comes from the long curved lever and breech plug that swings up and to the rear when opened. The combustible cartridge left no case to extract, but ignition still relied on a separately fitted percussion cap.