Fusil Chassepot Modèle 1866 - 11mm
German Modified Chassepot Carbine M1871 - 11x60mm
Chassepot Mle. 1866/74T (transormé) - 11x59mmR
The Chassepot 1866 (pronounced "Shaspou") is a French bolt-action, single-shot rifle, using paper cartridges with black powder. This rifle was used by various countries, including France, Monaco, the Tokugawa shogunate (Japan), and the Qajar Dynasty (Iran). The French Army adopted this rifle as Fusil Mle. 1866 and used it as their main infantry weapon in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871, where it was the counterpart to the Prussian Dreyse Needle Gun. Chassepot rifles were manufactured in France by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne (MAS), Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC), Manufacture d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) and some other factories, and also abroad in England, Belgium, and Italy.
When the Chassepot rifle was replaced by the Gras Mle. 1874, numerous Chassepots were converted to use the 11x59mmR Gras ammunition; this model was known as the Fusil Mle. 1866/74. Similar conversions were made in Germany which received many Chassepot rifles captured during the Franco-Prussian war. About 150,000 rifles were converted to using the 11x60mmR Mauser cartridge and shortened to carbine size. German cavalry and artillery used them until the early 1880s.
Specifications
- In service: (1867–1874)
- Weight: 10.2 lbs (4.6 kg)
- Length: 51.6 in (131 cm) (without bayonet)
74 in (188 cm) (with bayonet)
- Caliber: 11 mm
- Action: Bolt action
- Rate of fire: 8-15 rounds/minute
- Effective range: 1,312.336 yards (1,200 m)
- Feed system: Single-shot
The Chassepot 1866 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
Television
| Title
|
Actor
|
Character
|
Notes / Episode
|
Date
|
| Imperial Game |
Oona von Maydell |
Louise Michel |
|
2021
|
|
French soldiers
|
Video Game
Gras Model 1874
Fusil Gras Modèle 1874 - 11x59mmR Gras
Fusil Gras Mle. 1874 M80 with Mle. 1874 sword bayonet - 11x59mmR Gras
Fusil Gras Mle. 1874 M80 M14 - 8x50mmR Lebel
The Gras Mle. 1874 (pronounced "Grah") rifle is an adaptation of the Chassepot rifle to a metallic centerfire cartridge developed by Basile Gras; in addition to the cartridge conversion, the rifle gained a conventional cock-on-open striker system in place of the Chassepot's manually-cocked striker, and an updated set of sights. In 1880, the Gras received a slight modification in the form of a pair of extra grooves in the receiver (one running alongside the bolt in the left-hand side of the receiver, and the other around the circumference of the receiver just behind the chamber) to help safely vent out gas pressure in the event of a ruptured casing; this model was designated the Gras Mle. 1874 M80. The weapon gained an excellent reputation for ruggedness and ballistic efficiency during overseas expeditions, seeing service far longer than would otherwise be expected; the Greeks adopted the Gras in 1877 and continued to use them in rear-line roles all the way through World War II (with some being pulled out of stores in France for similar purposes), to say nothing of its extensive use by partisans (fighting the Ottoman Empire, occupying German forces, et cetera). Its robust and simple design would also go on to influence the Japanese Murata Rifle, and similarly to that rifle, surplus examples were frequently converted into hunting shotguns for civilian use.
Despite its merits, the Gras was replaced relatively quickly in French service by the Lebel 1886 following the development of smokeless powder; shortages during World War I meant that, starting in 1914, some of these rifles would later be converted to the Lebel's 8x50mmR cartridge for use by rear-line troops, under the designation Mle. 1874 M80 M14. Many Gras rifles would also be supplied to the Russian Empire as military aid, where they would be used in a similar capacity.
Specifications
- In service: (1874–1886, 1914-1918)
- Weight: 4.15 kg (9.15 lb)
- Length: 51.4 in (130.5 cm)
- Caliber: 11x59mmR Gras, 8x50mmR Lebel
- Action: Bolt-action
- Rate of fire: ?
- Effective range: ?
- Feed system: Single-shot
The Gras Model 1874 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Films
Television
Video Game
| Collapse |
|---|
| Pistols | | |
|---|
| Revolvers | |
|---|
| Submachine guns | |
|---|
| Rifles | |
|---|
| Machine Guns | |
|---|
| Recoilless Rifles | |
|---|
Join our Discord!
