Victorian Era British Army With Continental Commitments

They would use the Prussian Army.

The UK and Prussia are friendly powers, major trading partners, and generally on very good terms until after the Franco Prussian War and Prussia is the only threat to Hanover. Prussia has threats from France and Russia both of which are British Rivals and Austria ( at least theoretically) which is not.
Actually Prussia and Russia were pretty cozy in the 1800s.
 
Actually Prussia and Russia were pretty cozy in the 1800s.

Yes, formally, all the way to Congress of Berlin but cooling down started around 1875 or 76 when Alexander II personally interfered on the French behalf trying to prevent a possible Franco-German war.

But prior to this, Russia was sympathetic to Prussia both in Prussian-Austrian War and Franco-Prussian war. IIRC, on the initial stages of the Balkan mess which ended with the war of 1877-8 and before Alexander II interfered into the Franco-German affairs Bismark was even sympathetic to the Russian "goals" in the future war with the Ottomans (aka, getting control of the Straits; one more national paranoia :cool:)
 
Thus we cannot assume the British would necessarily go to breech loaders much quicker than OTL...more so if the need is there for a mass army or even continental deployable militia...the Enfield P53 rifles and beyond were designed with mass production in mind, something the Deryse company struggled with. With this in mind you need to remain aware of the fact that some rifle in your hand is far superior to a better rifle still in bits at the factory.

Even so, I'd expect that at the very least the Rifle and Light Infantry regiments to be equipped with some form of breach loader due to their role as skirmishers on the battlefield. With the potential of having to face an army equipped with breach loaders, the Rifles and Light Infantry would need to have them as well to be able to do their job.
 
Even so, I'd expect that at the very least the Rifle and Light Infantry regiments to be equipped with some form of breach loader due to their role as skirmishers on the battlefield. With the potential of having to face an army equipped with breach loaders, the Rifles and Light Infantry would need to have them as well to be able to do their job.

The whole British infantry were effectively light infantry by the 1860s with open order drill and marksmanship emphasised. The key point being accurate fire was for light infantry tactics even more important than rapid fire. Breech loaders are not magic, the British Army tested an extensive variety of breech loading rifles in service conditions such as the Spencer and Wesley carbines with various cavalry regiments and whole lot more than failed in testing prior to being accepted for field trials.

In fact you may note it was the cavalry and not the infantry who would likely have been seen as requiring a breech loader first as they are the sort most likely to find themselves defending a point objective while out on a limb. It is those kind of situations where volume of fire counts for most. Skirmishing on the other hand is the area in which Voltaire's statement that "God is not on the side of the big battalions but on the side of those who shoot best" is most applicable.
 
Even so, I'd expect that at the very least the Rifle and Light Infantry regiments to be equipped with some form of breach loader due to their role as skirmishers on the battlefield. With the potential of having to face an army equipped with breach loaders, the Rifles and Light Infantry would need to have them as well to be able to do their job.

IIRC none of Prussia's continental rivals -- Austria, Russia, France, etc. -- had a widespread adoption of breachloaders before the 1860s. If they didn't feel the need, why would Britain?
 
IIRC none of Prussia's continental rivals -- Austria, Russia, France, etc. -- had a widespread adoption of breachloaders before the 1860s. If they didn't feel the need, why would Britain?
Especially since the Danes (using rifled muzzle loaders) had beaten the Prussians (who adopted the Dreyse in 1841) durring the First Schleswig War.
 
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