Charleville Musket Modèle 1777
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1777
Also known as: Fusil modèle 1777, Modèle 1777 corrigé An IX, Charleville Model 1777
Overview
The Charleville Musket Modèle 1777 is a .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore musket and the definitive pattern of the long-running French Charleville series first introduced in 1717. Manufactured at the French royal arsenals of Charleville, Saint-Étienne and Maubeuge, the Modèle 1777 featured three barrel bands and was the standard infantry arm of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic armies. Supplied in large numbers to the Continental Army during the American Revolution, it became the direct pattern for the first United States military musket, the Springfield Model 1795.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4560 g (160.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1524 mm (60.00") |
| Barrel Length | 1137 mm (44.76") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 427 m/s (1401 fps) |
| Effective Range | 46 m (50 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 183 m (200 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | White Metal |
Calibers
- .69 Caliber Musket Ball · primary — also known as 0.69 in, 17.5 mm ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Three Barrel Bands, Socket Bayonet Lug, Ramrod
Variants
- Modèle 1777 corrigé An IX — Modernized
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1777 · as Fusil modèle 1777
- Continental Army / United States
Conflicts
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
- French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802)
- Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)
Production
Estimated total produced: 7,000,000 · Production years: 1777-1839
Modèle 1777 family across all French arsenals and An IX revisions; figures include later conversions.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Discontinued: 1816
Notes
Many examples were later converted from flintlock to percussion. Barrel and weight figures vary slightly across arsenals and revisions; muzzle velocity is approximate for a period smoothbore.
Background
Early United States Springfield muskets were near-indistinguishable copies of the Charleville pattern; the American arms industry was effectively bootstrapped by reverse-engineering the French muskets France had shipped to Washington's army.