Berthier M1916
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1916
Also known as: Mousqueton Mle 1916, Mousqueton d'Artillerie Modele Modifie 1916, Berthier Mle 1916, Carabine Mle 1916
Overview
The Berthier M1916 (Mousqueton Mle 1916) is a French bolt-action carbine, the wartime culmination of André Berthier's en-bloc-clip-fed service weapons chambered in 8x50mmR Lebel. Developed in 1916 to answer the most criticized failing of the earlier Berthier carbines and the Mle 1907/15 rifle, it replaced the original three-round Mannlicher-type clip with a five-round en-bloc clip housed in a lengthened magazine, finally matching the magazine capacity of the German Mauser 98 the poilus faced in the trenches. The compact carbine pattern retained the proven Berthier mechanism, a rotating bolt with two forward locking lugs, but added a hinged sheet-steel cover over the magazine opening to keep out the mud of the Western Front. Built at Saint-Etienne, Chatellerault, and Tulle, the M1916 served the French Army through the latter half of the First World War in the hands of artillerymen, cavalry, engineers, and assault troops, and surviving examples were still being issued to colonial and second-line units as late as the First Indochina War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3250 g (114.6 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 3350 g (118.2 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 | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | En Bloc Clip |
| Muzzle Velocity | 640 m/s (2100 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2621 J (1933 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, Five Round Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Bolt Safety, Half Cock Notch
- Features: Five Round En Bloc Clip, Bottom Clip Ejection, Sheet Steel Magazine Cover, 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
Variants
- Fusil Mle 1907/15 — Infantry Rifle
- Fusil Mle 1907/15 M16 — Wwi Five Round Rifle
- Mousqueton Mle 1892 M16 — Artillery Carbine Five Round
Base model
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1916 · as Mousqueton Mle 1916
- French Foreign Legion · adopted 1916
- Free French Forces · adopted 1940
- Greek Army · adopted 1940
- Viet Minh · adopted 1945
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- Rif War (1920-1927)
- World War II (1939-1945)
- First Indochina War (1946-1954)
Production
Production years: 1916-1918
Part of the broader Berthier family (approximately 2.9 million made across all models 1890-1918). The 1916 five-round pattern was produced in large numbers at MAS, Chatellerault, and Tulle, and earlier three-round carbines were progressively upgraded to the standard.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: André Berthier
Discontinued: 1918
Notes
The 1916 modification was applied both to the short carbine (Mousqueton Mle 1916) and to the full-length infantry rifle (sometimes catalogued as Mle 1907/15 M16); this entry covers the carbine. The five-round magazine protrudes noticeably below the stock, the most obvious visual difference from the earlier flush three-round Berthiers. The en-bloc clip ejecting downward through a cut in the magazine floor remained a distinctive Berthier trait. Many M1916 carbines were later rebuilt during the interwar period for the 7.5x54mm French cartridge as the Mle 1907/15-M34.
Background
French soldiers had complained bitterly that the three-round Berthier left them reloading twice as often as the Germans across no-man's-land. When the five-round fix arrived in 1916 they called the improved weapon the 'Berthier a cinq coups' - the five-shot Berthier - and the name carried genuine relief in it after two years of being out-magazined in the trenches.