| Chassepot | |
|---|---|
 Chassepot rifle with bayonet | |
| Type | Needle gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1866 — Present |
| Used by | France Monaco Kingdom of Bavaria Kingdom of Saxony Brazilian Empire(Limited) Peru Bolivia Kingdom of Dahomey Qajar dynasty Greece Ethiopian Empire Principality of Serbia Tokugawa shogunate Nguyễn dynasty |
| Wars | Italian Wars of Unification Franco-Prussian War French colonial conflicts War of the Pacific[1] Boshin War Revolution of 1880 Federalist Revolution First Italo-Ethiopian War Revolutions of 1917–1923 1923 Revolution other conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Antoine Alphonse Chassepot |
| Designed | 1858–1866 |
| Produced | 1866–1875 |
| No. built | ~2,000,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.635 kilograms (10 lb 3.5 oz) |
| Length | 1.31 m (4 ft 4 in) without bayonet 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) with bayonet |
| Barrel length | 795 mm (31.3 in) |
| Cartridge | Lead bullet 25 g (386 grains) in paper cartridge charge 5.6g (86.4 grains) black powder |
| Caliber | 11 mm (.433 inches) |
| Action | Bolt action |
| Rate of fire | 8–15 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 410 m/s (1345 ft/s)[2] |
| Maximum firing range | 1,200 m (1,300 yd) service rifle 1,600 m (1,700 yd) fusil pour la cavalerie d'Afrique model |
| Feed system | Single-shot 5-Round Non Detachable box Magazine 8-Round Tubular Magazine |
| Sights | Ladder |
The Chassepot (pronounced /ˈʃæspoʊ/ SHAS-poh), officially known as Fusil modèle 1866, was a bolt-action military breechloading rifle. It is famous for having been the arm of the French forces in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. It replaced an assortment of Minié muzzleloading rifles, many of which were converted in 1864 to breech loading (the Tabatière rifles). An improvement to existing military rifles in 1866, the Chassepot marked the commencement of the era of modern bolt action, breech-loading military rifles. The Gras rifle was an adaption of the Chassepot designed to fire metallic cartridges introduced in 1874.
It was manufactured by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne (MAS), Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC), Manufacture d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) and, until 1870, in the Manufacture d'Armes de Mutzig in the former Château des Rohan. Many were also manufactured under contract in England (the "Potts et Hunts" Chassepots delivered to the French Navy), in Belgium (Liege), and in Italy at Brescia (by Glisenti). The approximate number of Chassepot rifles available to the French Army in July 1870 was 1,037,555 units.[3] Additionally, state manufacturies could deliver 30,000 new rifles monthly. Gun manufacturers in England and Austria also produced Chassepot rifles to support the French war effort. The Josef und Franz Werndl & Co. in Steyr, Austria delivered 12,000 Chassepot carbines and 100,000 parts to France in 1871.[4] Manufacturing of the Chassepot rifle ended in February 1875, four years after the end of the Franco-Prussian War, with approximately 700,000 more Chassepot rifles made between September 1871 and July 1874.[5]
- ^ Esposito, Gabriele, Armies of the War of the Pacific 1879-83: Osprey Publishing (2016)
- ^ Ford, p. 23
- ^ Walter, John (2006). Rifles of the World. Krause Publications. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-89689-241-5.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Zuendnadelgewehr Chassepot". Schmids-zuendnadelseite.de. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Bladstadt" (PDF). Bibliotekacyfrowa.pl (in Polish). 1873. Retrieved 8 July 2018.