Berthier Mle 1907/15

Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1915

Also known as: Fusil Mle 1907/15, Fusil Modele 1907-15, Berthier M1907/15, Mannlicher-Berthier 1907/15

Overview

The Berthier Mle 1907/15 is a French bolt-action service rifle chambered in 8x50mmR Lebel, the full-length infantry pattern of Andre Berthier's en-bloc-clip-fed family adopted in 1915. It was a wartime simplification of the colonial Fusil Mle 1907, reworked for mass production to supplement the slower-loading tubular-magazine Lebel Mle 1886 as France geared up for the trench fighting of the First World War. The rifle uses Berthier's rotating bolt with two forward locking lugs and feeds from a three-round en-bloc clip that ejects downward through the magazine floor once emptied. Built at the French state arsenals and, in large quantity, under contract by Remington in the United States, the Mle 1907/15 armed the poilus, French colonial troops, and Foreign Legion units throughout the war. Its single greatest shortcoming, the small three-round magazine that left soldiers reloading twice as often as their five-round Mauser-armed German opponents, was addressed by the later five-round Mle 1907/15 M16 conversion.

Specifications

Weight (empty)	3800 g (134.0 oz)
Weight (loaded)	3900 g (137.6 oz)
Overall Length	1306 mm (51.42")
Barrel Length	800 mm (31.50")
Action Type	Bolt Action
Firing Mechanism	Striker Fired
Trigger Type	Two Stage
Magazine Capacity	3 rounds
Magazine Type	En Bloc Clip
Muzzle Velocity	716 m/s (2349 fps)
Muzzle Energy	3281 J (2420 ft·lbf)
Effective Range	400 m (437 yd)
Maximum Range	2000 m (2187 yd)
Rate of Fire	20 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: Three Round En Bloc Clip, Bottom Clip Ejection, Rotating Bolt, Two Locking Lugs, Tangent Leaf Rear Sight, Blade Front Sight, Straight Bolt Handle, Full Length Wooden Stock, Side Mounted Sling Bar, Bayonet Lug, Wartime Simplified Furniture

Variants

Fusil Mle 1907/15 M16 — Wwi Five Round Rifle
Mousqueton Mle 1916 — Artillery Carbine Five Round

Service history

Operators

French Army · adopted 1915 · as Fusil Mle 1907/15
French Colonial Forces · adopted 1915
French Foreign Legion · adopted 1915
Greek Army · adopted 1940
Free French Forces · adopted 1940

Conflicts

World War I (1914-1918)
Rif War (1920-1927)
World War II (1939-1945)
First Indochina War (1946-1954)

Production

Production years: 1915-1918

Part of the broader Berthier family (approximately 2.9 million made across all models 1890-1918). Manufactured at the French state arsenals of Saint-Etienne, Chatellerault, and Tulle, with substantial contract production by Remington in the United States.

Origin

Country of origin: France

Designer: Andre Berthier

Discontinued: 1918

Notes

The base Mle 1907/15 retained the original three-round Mannlicher-type en-bloc clip; the five-round upgrade introduced in 1916 is catalogued separately as the Mle 1907/15 M16 / Mousqueton Mle 1916. Many surviving 1907/15 rifles were rebuilt during the interwar period to the M16 standard or rechambered for the 7.5x54mm French cartridge as the Mle 1907/15-M34. Remington of Ilion, New York produced large numbers under French contract from 1915.

Background

The poilus complained bitterly that the three-round Berthier left them feeding their rifle twice as often as the Germans across no-man's-land, a grievance that drove the wartime rush to the five-round M16 conversion. Rifles built on the far side of the Atlantic by Remington bore American proof marks alongside French acceptance stamps, a quiet testament to how dependent France had become on overseas industry to keep its infantry armed.