TheMaynard tape primer was a system designed byEdward Maynard to allow for more rapid reloading ofmuskets.
Muskets in the early 19th century wereflintlocks, which had a high rate of misfire and performed poorly in damp and humid weather. In 1807 the firstpercussion ignition system was patented byAlexander Forsyth based on research on fulminates conducted byEdward Charles Howard, but practicalpercussion lock systems did not become available until the 1820s, afterAlexander John Forsyth'spatent had expired.
Percussion cap systems relied on small copper caps that were filled withmercury fulminate. While they greatly improved the reliability of muskets and their performance in damp weather, the slow rate of fire of muskets was still an issue. In 1845,[1] Dr. Edward Maynard, a dentist with an interest in firearms, embedded tiny pellets of priming material in thin strips of paper, then glued a second strip of paper on top of the first, creating a "tape" of primer. The tape could be manufactured quickly and cheaply, since paper was much less expensive than copper. Maynard also developed an automatic feeding system that would advance the tape when the musket'shammer was cocked. The hammer not only detonated the primer, but would also automatically cut the paper, thus removing the spent portion of the primer tape.
Maynard's new system still required the musket'spowder andMinié ball to be loaded conventionally into the barrel, but the tape system meant that the percussion cap no longer needed to be manually loaded onto thepercussion lock's nipple.[2][3] This saved the soldier a step during the reloading process, which increased the soldier's overall rate of fire.[2]
The Ordnance Board was initially hesitant about the design, but the secretary of war, futureConfederatePresidentJefferson Davis, was so enthusiastic about the design that it was installed on theSpringfield Model 1855rifle-musket.
The Maynard tape worked well as long the tapes were kept dry,[1] proving to be fragile in comparison to copper caps,[4] and unreliable under bad weather conditions.[3] In 1860, the Maynard system was deemed by the War Department as unreliable and abandoned.[5] The M1855 was designed to use either the Maynard system or standard percussion caps, and so remained functional even with the problems of the Maynard system.[2]
Variations of the Maynard tape system are still used today in moderntoy guns.[4]