Charleville Model 1717
Manufacture royale d'armes de Charleville · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1717
Also known as: Fusil Modèle 1717, French Infantry Musket Model 1717, Modèle 1717 Charleville
Overview
The Charleville Model 1717 is a .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore muzzle-loading musket and the first pattern of French infantry longarm to be fully standardized and issued to the whole army. Produced at the French royal arsenals including Charleville, Saint-Étienne and Maubeuge, it fixed a common bore, lock and furniture so that parts and ammunition were interchangeable across regiments. Like the contemporary British Brown Bess, the Model 1717 retained a pinned barrel rather than the sprung barrel bands introduced on later French patterns, and it established the basic architecture from which the long line of Charleville muskets evolved.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4300 g (151.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1600 mm (62.99") |
| Barrel Length | 1168 mm (45.98") |
| 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, Pinned Barrel, Socket Bayonet Lug, Wooden Ramrod
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1717 · as Fusil d'infanterie Modèle 1717
- Continental Army / United States · adopted 1777
Conflicts
- War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
- Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Production
Estimated total produced: 48,000 · Production years: 1717-1728
Roughly 48,000 Model 1717 muskets are reported produced before the pattern was replaced by the Modèle 1728.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Discontinued: 1728
Notes
Overall length is usually quoted at roughly 62-63 in (about 1,600 mm) with a barrel near 46-47 in. Original service weight was around 9-10 lb; modern reproductions run heavier (up to about 12 lb). Superseded by the Modèle 1728, which introduced the sprung barrel bands that define the later Charleville family.
Background
As the first musket issued uniformly to the entire French army, the Model 1717 marks the true beginning of the Charleville lineage that would arm French infantry through the Napoleonic Wars and equip Washington's Continental Army during the American Revolution.