Berthier M1892
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1892
Also known as: Mousqueton Mle 1892, Berthier Carbine M1892, Mle 1892 Mousqueton, Carabine de Cavalerie Mle 1892
Overview
The Berthier M1892 (Mousqueton Mle 1892) is a French bolt-action carbine chambered in 8x50mmR Lebel, developed from André Berthier's en-bloc clip system as a handy shoulder arm for mounted and support troops. Drawn up in answer to a cavalry request for a carbine to replace the obsolete single-shot Gras and Chassepot carbines, it paired the Lebel's 8mm cartridge with a simplified rotating bolt and a fixed magazine fed by a three-round Mannlicher-pattern en-bloc clip inserted through the top of the action. When the last round chambered, the empty clip dropped clear through a port in the magazine floor, giving the carbine a much faster reload than the tube-magazine Lebel Mle 1886/93. Compact, half-stocked and fitted with a saddle ring rather than a bayonet lug, the Mle 1892 was issued to cavalry, artillery, engineers and other second-line units. Built at the state arsenals including the Manufacture d'armes de Châtellerault, it became the most widespread of the early Berthier carbines and, when France mobilized in 1914, was pressed into frontline service alongside the longer Lebel and Berthier rifles. Its three-round capacity ultimately proved inadequate against five-round Mauser and Lee-Enfield arms, prompting the 1916 redesign that gave the carbine a five-round clip and a side-mounted magazine.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3150 g (111.1 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 3250 g (114.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 945 mm (37.20") |
| Barrel Length | 453 mm (17.83") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Two Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 3 rounds |
| Magazine Type | En Bloc Clip |
| Muzzle Velocity | 632 m/s (2073 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2556 J (1885 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 12 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8x50mmR Lebel · primary — also known as 8mm Lebel, Cartouche Mle 1886, Balle D, Balle N, 8x51mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: En Bloc Clip, Three Round Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Bolt Safety, Half Cock Notch
- Features: En Bloc Clip Loading, Bottom Clip Ejection, Rotating Bolt, Two Locking Lugs, Turned Down Bolt Handle, Flip Up Ladder Rear Sight, Blade Front Sight, Saddle Ring, No Bayonet Lug, Half Stock
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1892 · as Mousqueton Mle 1892
- French Cavalry · adopted 1892 · as Mousqueton Mle 1892
- French Artillery · adopted 1892 · as Mousqueton d'Artillerie Mle 1892
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Production years: 1892-1916
Produced in large numbers across the French state arsenals (Châtellerault, Saint-Étienne, Tulle) from 1892; many surviving examples were later rebuilt to the five-round Mle 1892 M16 standard from 1916 onward.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: André Berthier
Discontinued: 1916
Notes
The Mle 1892's three-round en-bloc clip, inherited from the 1890 cavalry carbine, was its defining limitation; combat on the Western Front exposed it against five-shot Mausers and Lee-Enfields and drove the wartime Mle 1892 M16 conversion with a five-round clip and enlarged magazine. The artillery musketoon (Mousqueton d'Artillerie Mle 1892) differed mainly in furniture and the absence of a bayonet attachment. Reported barrel and weight figures vary slightly between arsenals and reference sources; overall length is consistently about 945 mm (37.2 in).
Background
The Berthier carbine owes its existence to a quiet failure of the much-celebrated Lebel: the Lebel's tube magazine was too long and cumbersome for a cavalry shoulder arm, so France turned to André Berthier's cheaper, clip-fed action to arm its horsemen and gunners. The little Mle 1892 was meant to be a second-line carbine, yet when the rifle shortages of 1914 hit, it was thrust into the trenches and went on to serve, in modernized form, all the way into the Second World War.