Bullard Repeating Rifle
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.54 kg
- Introduced
- 1886
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Bullard Repeating Rifle was a lever-action repeater notable for its unique rack-and-pinion action, widely regarded as the smoothest and one of the strongest lever mechanisms of the 1880s. Chambered in cartridges up to .45-70 and the proprietary .40-90 Bullard, it was an exceptionally well-engineered big-bore repeater. Its high cost and mechanical complexity, however, kept it from competing with the mass-produced Winchester and Marlin rifles.
James H. Bullard, a former Smith & Wesson master mechanic with over 100 patents, built what many consider the smoothest lever action ever made; at around $35 in 1886, roughly twice the price of a Winchester, it was engineered out of the mass market.
Built in Springfield, Massachusetts. The action used a rack on the bolt driven by a pinion linked to the lever, with a rolling block lockup. The company dissolved around 1891.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Bullard Repeating Arms Company
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1886 to 1890
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.54 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Lever action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Magazine
- Tube
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 545 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2753 J
- Effective range
- 200 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Rack and pinion lever action
Tubular magazine
Bottom loading gate
Octagon barrel
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 54 .45-70 Government rifles | 4.54 kg | 4.08 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 58 .45-70 Government rifles | 711 mm | 711 mm | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Bullard Repeating Rifle
How much does the Bullard Repeating Rifle weigh?
The Bullard Repeating Rifle weighs 4.54 kg (10.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Bullard Repeating Rifle?
The Bullard Repeating Rifle is chambered in .45-70 Government, .32-40 Winchester, and .40-90 Bullard.
How long is the Bullard Repeating Rifle?
The Bullard Repeating Rifle has a 711 mm (28.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Bullard Repeating Rifle?
The Bullard Repeating Rifle is made by Bullard Repeating Arms Company (United States). It was designed by James H. Bullard.
When was the Bullard Repeating Rifle introduced?
The Bullard Repeating Rifle was introduced in 1886 and discontinued in 1890.
How does the Bullard Repeating Rifle operate?
The Bullard Repeating Rifle uses a lever action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/bullard-rifle' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "bullard-rifle", "name": "Bullard Repeating Rifle", "manufacturer": { "id": "bullard-repeating-arms", "name": "Bullard Repeating Arms Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1883, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "666bd6872214dfdadb04cd07d4e57d20a46f4288809f46a40087bc9112af795c" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1886, "barrel_length_mm": 711, "weight_empty_g": 4536, "action_type": "lever_action"}