Describing a firearm that is loaded from the rear or breech end rather than from the muzzle.
From 'breech' plus 'loading.' This compound adjective became standard terminology in the 19th century as breech-loading technology became the dominant firearm design.
The shift from muzzle-loading to breech-loading in the 1860s-1880s was one of the most consequential military changes ever—it made trained soldiers exponentially more effective and changed warfare forever.
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