"PEABODY-MARTINI" RIFLE IN OPERATIONAL SERVICE WITH THE OSSETIANS IN THE CONDITIONS OF PUBLIC MODERNIZATIONS

Armament supplies are an important part of the material component of the military culture of an ethnos. The issue of small arms with the Ossetians in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries refers to poorly studied problems. In the XIX century, huge changes took place in ammunition in general and in gun systems in particular, the pace of modernization was so rapid that the emerging new systems became obsolete in a few years and were replaced by better samples. This work studies the issue of Peabody-Martini rifle, which at a certain time became one of the most widespread small arms systems with the Ossetians. On the basis of historical sources, the author revealed the time of appearance of this system of hand-held rifled-barrel gun with the Ossetians and the time of its prevalence. Besides, the work contains a detailed external and technical description of the rifle system in question.