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Chassepot 1866
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 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 that 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:
Films
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jánošík | Soldiers | with yataghan bayonets | 1921 | |
| Westfront 1918 | French soldiers | 1930 | ||
| Hell on Earth | Georges Péclet | Charles Durand | 1931 | |
| Louis Douglas | Joe Smile | |||
| Angel and Sinner | Georges Tourreil | Henri | 1945 | |
| French and Prussian soldiers | ||||
| The Captain from Köpenick | Werner Schumacher | German Corporal | 1956 | |
| Balduin Baas | East Prussian grenadier | |||
| Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Vulgarian soldiers | 1968 | ||
| Joe Kidd | on the table of broken guns | 1972 | ||
| Prairie Hunters in Mexico (Präriejäger in Mexiko) | Mexican and French soldiers | 1988 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Game | Oona von Maydell | Louise Michel | 2021 | |
| French soldiers |
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 (pronounced "Grah") 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 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 from 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 was introduced to the Gras Mle. 1874 in 1877 and used it in all conflicts until the Second World War. It became the favorite weapon of 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) was the result of the discovery of new powder types that are superior to black powder. But in 1914, the rifle was converted to the 8mm Lebel cartridge because of firearm shortages in World War I. These models were equipped by troops who were not destined to fight at the front with a weapon using standard ammunition, thus simplifying the manufacture and logistics. The second time this happened at the beginning of WWII for the same reasons, in particular in France 1940, and in the USSR 1941, for security and patrol purposes, before they were replaced by more modern rifles.
Specifications
- In service: (1874–1886, 1914-1918)
- Weight: 4.15 kg (9.15 lb)
- Length: 51.4 in (130.5 cm)
- 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 Heart of Humanity | German soldiers | 1918 | ||
| The Lost Battalion | American and German soldiers | with Mle. 1866 Yataghan sword bayonets | 1919 | |
| The Merry Widow | Monteblanco soldiers | 1925 | ||
| The New Babylon | Pyotr Sobolevsky | Jean | standing in for Chassepot 1866 | 1929 |
| French soldiers | ||||
| The Paris Commune (Zori Parizha) | Antonina Maksimova | Catherine Millard | standing in 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 | |
| Lenin in October (Lenin v oktyabre) | Red Guards | 1937 | ||
| Daybreak (Le jour se lève) | French soldiers | Carbine | 1935 | |
| Paths of Glory | French soldiers | 1957 | ||
| Mata Hari, Agent H21 | French soldiers | 1964 | ||
| Two Mules for Sister Sara | French soldiers | standing in for Chassepot 1866 | 1970 | |
| Lacombe, Lucien | Pierre Blaise | Lucien Lacombe | Converted shotgun; only on a promotional image | 1974 |
| A Captain's Honor (L'Honneur d'un capitaine) | Converted shotgun | 1982 | ||
| Field of Honor | Cris Campion | Pierre Naboulet | standing in for Chassepot 1866 | 1987 |
| Algerian, Turkish, French troops | ||||
| The Lost City of Z | Charlie Hunnam | Percy Fawcett | 2017 | |
| Robert Pattinson | Henry Costin |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Tutashkhia | Vladimer Bregvadze | Jonjolia | Ep.5 | 1977 |
| The Alsatians or the Two Matildas | Lucas Belvaux | Yerri Laugel | Ep. 01; standing in for Chassepot 1866 | 1996 |
| French soldiers | ||||
| Around the World in 80 Days | Loic Djani | Gérard | Ep. 01; standing in for Chassepot 1866 | 2021 |
| A Parisian Commune member |