Editing Breechloader (section)

==Breech mechanism==
{{main|Action (firearms)}}
A breech action is the loading sequence of a breech loading [[naval gun]] or [[small arm]]. The earliest breech actions were either three-shot [[Break action|break-open]] actions or a barrel tip-down, remove the plug and reload actions. The later [[breech-loader]]s included the [[Ferguson rifle]], which used a screw-in/screw out action to reload, and the [[Hall rifle]], which [[tip up barrel|tipped up]] at 30 degrees for loading. The better breech loaders, however, used [[percussion caps]], including the [[Sharps rifle]], using a [[falling block action|falling block]] (or [[Breechblock|sliding block]]) action to reload. And then later on came the [[Dreyse needle gun]] that used a moving seal (bolt) to seal and expose the breech. Later on, however, the [[Mauser Model 1871|Mauser M71/84]] rifle used self-contained metallic [[Cartridge (firearms)|cartridges]] and used a rotating bolt to open and close the breech.