When did the U.S. army switch from muzzle loading rifles? And what did they switch to? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

When did the U.S. army switch from muzzle loading rifles? And what did they switch to?

by RapidSage

I understand the most of the civil war was fought with muzzle loading rifles, which I find interesting when repeaters where being manufactured. At what point before ww1 did they switch and was it to bolt action rifles or to repeaters?

Georgy_K_Zhukov

I've covered this evolution before here and here. Although breechloaders were used as early as 1819, the Springfield 1873 Trapdoor rifle was when they fully switched over to breechloading, and the 1892 Krag in turn was when they switched to repeaters.