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Military Rifles in the Age of Transition
(Non-U.S.) Black Powder, Metallic Cartidge, Military Rifles
1865 to 1890
(A Research, Photo-Identification and Information Website since 1997)
M1868 Roumanian Peabody
GENERALLY: The M1868 Romanian Peabody is very similar to the other rifles in the Peabody military family of models, such as the M1866 Canadian and the M1867 Swiss military Peabodys. Hull states that 25,000 were made, while Walters indicates that about 30,000 were purchased in the years 1867-1869 (this would have been while Roumania was still a Province of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, (Roumania became independent in 1878, co-inciding with adoption of the M1879 Roumanian Peabody-Martini) perhaps explaining why there is confusion regarding the chambering of this rifle with the cartridge of the M1872 Turkish Peabody-Martini).
PHOTO: The Photo shown is a M1868 Roumanian Model Peabody, but apparently not a rifle that was ever delivered to, or officially issued by, Roumania in that, but for the Providence Tool Company markings is otherwise unmarked.
DISTINGUISHING CHARECTERISTICS: The rifle looks very much like the Swiss Peabody and is marked with the standard peabody patent information on the left side fo the receiver. At least with regard to some rifles officially delivered to and issued by Roumania, markings include among other things, "Modelo Romano" on the right side receiver flat. Walters also indicates that the Roumanian model had a "leaf-type firing pin retractor spring" but, while that might be true of Romanian issue rifles, it is not true generally of the Roumanian model, not show in the Providence Tool Company's literature (whilst the coil-type firing pin retractor spring of the .43 Spanish model is so shown) and is not present in the Roumanin model illustrated at this site.
MISC NOTES: Any additional information regarding the Roumanian Model's as-issued in Roumania markings would be sincerely appreciated. Also, be sure to see the Peabody and Peabody-Martinis page for substantial additional information regarding the Roumanian and other military Peabody rifles.
The cleaning rod, being for a .45 Calibre bore, is unique to the M1868 Roumanian.
A good view of the most noticable external distinguishing charecteristic of the M1868 Roumanian,
that sight leaf extending back to the receiver.
Another close-up view of the M1868 Roumanian rear sight leaf extending back to the receiver.
Nothing differentiates the M1868 Roumanian Peabody from other military Peabodys in this view
(except as to the Canadian Model which has the Providence Tool Company information on the
right side of the receiver).
Peabody military rifle serial numbers are located on the underside of the barrel, just ahead of the receiver, and on the receiver also, on the cleaning rod socket support column, just bearly visible to the left of the "B" proof mark, perpendicular to the barrel, on either side of the barrel indexing mark in the receiver.
M1868 Roumanian Peabody and M1867 Swiss Peabody Compared
Because the Roumanian Peabody and the M1867 Swiss Peabody are quite similar these photos are offered to assist in differentiating the two rifles. Don't forget to check the Peabody and Peabody-Martinis page in the General Information section of this website.
Above: M1868 Roumanian
Below: M1867 Swiss. Not the length of the rear sight leaf. The knoxform on the Swiss is not dispositive because this Swiss Peabody was converted to M1867/77 by the Swiss installing a new barrel, forestock and breech block. Original unconverted Swiss Peabodys have a round tapered barrel just as does the M1868 Roumanian.
Another view of the rear sights
Left: M1868 Roumanian Peabody; Right: M1867/77 Swiss Peabody
M1868 Roumanian, above.
M1867/77 Swiss (a Swiss manufactured breech block!! installed when
the rifle was converted with new barrel by the Swiss because the original Peabody
barrels wore out), below.
M1868 Roumanian, Left
M1867/77 Swiss (a Swiss manufactured breech block!!), Right.
The M1868 Roumanian Peabody Cartridge
Some sources, notably Jean Huon, Military Rifle and Machine Gun Cartridges, asserts that the.45 Roumanian Peabody cartridge was chambered for the same cartridge as the .45 Turkish Peabody-Martini, but examination and chamber casting shows otherwise. In fact, the Roumanina cartridge is most likely based on the .43 Egyptian Remington necked up to .45 calibre. References to a 59 or 60mm long Roumanian cartridge are not applicable to the Roumanian Peabody. However, as I have never examined a .45 M1879 Roumanian Peabod-Martini, it is certainly possible that this latter rifle is chambered similarly to the Turkish rifle as the two rifles are nearly identical otherwise.
The CerroSafe(R) chamber cast of the M1868 Roumanian (top) demonstrates a case that is much
more akin to the M1868 Remington Egyptian than the later M1872 Turkish Peabody-Martini
(bottom).
The 5 cartridges on the left are M1868 .43 Egyptian Remington; the 5 cartridges on the right are M1871 11mm
(.43) Dutch Beaumont (believed to have been based on the Egyptian cartridge); the long fellow in the center
is a .45 Turkish Peabody-Martini cartridge, and the shinny one to its left is unknown, but very close to the M1868
.45 Roumanian chamber cast shown above. All of these cartridges but the Turkish will chamber snugly in the
M1868 Roumanian Model Peabody rifle, but of course the bullets of all but the two center examples are quite undersized.
Above: Attempting to load the .45 Turkish cartridge into the Roumanian Peabody ...
rather like one of cinderella's sisters trying on the glass slipper. Not even close
Below: Roumanian (top); Turk Peabody-Martini (below). No wonder.
Page first built: September 24, 1999
Revised December 30, 2001
Updated: Nov 6, 2021