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Chassepot 1866
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, Tokugawa shogunate (Japan) and Qajar Dynasty (Iran). French army adopted this rifle as Fusil Mle 1866 and used it as the main infantry weapon in 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 France, in England, Belgium, and Italy.
When Chassepot rifle was replaced by the Gras Mle 1874, numerous Chassepots were converted to using the 11x59R mm Gras ammunition; this model was known as Fusil Mle 1866/74. Similar convertion was made in Germany that got a lot of Chassepot captured during the Franco-Prussian war. About 150,000 rifle were converted to using 11x60R mm Mauser cartridge and shortened to carbine size. German cavalry and artillery used them until the early 1880s.
Specifications
- In service: (1867–1874)
- Weight: 4.635 kilograms
- Length: 1.31 m (without bayonet)
1.88 m (with bayonet) - Caliber: 11 mm
- Action: Bolt action
- Rate of fire: 8-15 rounds/minute
- Effective range: 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:
Films
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jánošík | Soldiers | with yataghan bayonets | 1921 | |
| Hell on Earth | Georges Péclet | Charles Durand | 1931 | |
| Louis Douglas | Joe Smile | |||
| Angel and Sinner | French and Prussian soldiers | 1945 | ||
| Joe Kidd | on the table of broken guns | 1972 | ||
| The Leopard (Il gattopardo) | Garibaldi's volunteers | 1963 | ||
| Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Vulgarian soldiers | 1968 |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total War: Shogun 2 — Fall of the Samurai | 2011 |
Gras Model 1874
The Gras Mle 1874 rifle is an adaptation of the Chassepot rifle to a metal cartridge developed by Basile Gras. The Bavarian Werder-Gewehr M/1869 was a comparable development. In 1880 the Gras got a a slight modification of the receiver through a groove, and the cylinder head (extension of the notch in addition to the bleeding of the case) are better subjected to protect the shooter at breakage of holster and exhaust fumes. This model was designated as Gras Mle 1874 M80. The weapon gained an excellent reputation for ruggedness and ballistic efficiency during overseas expeditions this time. The Japanese Murata Rifle was inspired by the Gras rifle and the Greek army introduced the Gras Mle 1874 in 1877 and used it in all conflicts until the Second World War. It became the favorite weapon of the partisans from the revolts against the Ottoman Empire to resistance to the German occupation and gained a legendary reputation.
Reasons for the relatively quick replacement of this rifle (in France by the Lebel 1886) result in the discovery of new powder types that are superior to the black powder. But in 1914 the rifle was converted to the 8mm Lebel cartridge because of firearm shortages in World War I. These model should equip troops who were not destined to fight at the front with a weapon using standard ammunition, thus simplifying the manufacture and logistics.
Specifications
- In service: (1874–1886,1914-1918)
- Weight: 4.15 kg (9.15 lb)
- Length: 1305 mm
- Caliber: 11×59mmR, 8x50mmR
- 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
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New Babylon | Pyotr Sobolevsky | Jean | standing for Chassepot 1866 | 1929 |
| French soldiers | ||||
| The Paris Commune (Zori Parizha) | Antonina Maksimova | Catherine Millard | standing for Chassepot 1866 | 1936 |
| Andrei Abrikosov | Etienne Millard | |||
| Dmitri Dorlyak | Eugene Gorrot | |||
| Vladimir Belokurov | Raoul Rigault | |||
| Anatoliy Goryunov | Richet | |||
| Communards, National Guardsmen, French Army soldiers | ||||
| Gavroche | Republicans | anachronistic | 1937 | |
| The Goose of Sedan | Jean Richard | Léon Riffard | standing for Chassepot 1866 | 1959 |
| Hardy Krüger | Fritz Brösicke | |||
| Mata Hari, Agent H21 | French soldiers | 1964 | ||
| Two Mules for Sister Sara | French soldiers | standing for Chassepot 1866 | 1970 | |
| Field of Honor | Cris Campion | Pierre Naboulet | standing for Chassepot 1866 | 1987 |
| Algerian, Turkish, French troops | ||||
| The Lost City of Z | Charlie Hunnam | Percy Fawcett | 1987 | |
| Robert Pattinson | Henry Costin |