One of the major drawbacks in the Whitworth Rifle's design was the breech system's fragility over the course of extended combat exposure. This led crews to eventually permanently seal the breech action and load/reload their guns from the muzzle in the typical fashion - negating the weapon's one true distinct quality.
Whitworth also designed an infantry service rifle known plainly as the "Whitworth Rifle" to succeed the Enfield Pattern 1853 guns of .577 caliber. This rifle, like the Whitworth Rifle field gun, also made use of a hexagonal bore (0.451 caliber) firing an elongated hexagonal bullet. Again, the British Army passed on this local design but the long gun was adopted by both the French Army and the Confederate States of America.
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