Daudeteau M1896
Société Française des Armes Portatives (Saint-Denis) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1896
Also known as: Daudeteau No.12, Fusil Daudeteau, Dovitis Rifle
Overview
The Daudeteau M1896 (No.12) was a French bolt-action repeating rifle designed by Louis Daudeteau and built by the Société Française des Armes Portatives at Saint-Denis. Chambered in the small-bore high-velocity 6.5×53.5mm smokeless cartridge, it fed from a 5-round charger-loaded box magazine and featured tool-less bolt removal. Though never adopted as a French standard service rifle, it was bought in small trial lots by several navies and Latin American states.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3950 g (139.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1287 mm (50.67") |
| Barrel Length | 826 mm (32.52") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 732 m/s (2402 fps) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- 6.5×53.5mm Daudeteau No.12 · primary — also known as 6.5mm Daudeteau, Cartouche No.12
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Stripper Clip, Internal Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Charger Loaded Magazine, Tool Less Bolt Removal, Smokeless Small Bore
Variants
- Daudeteau Mousqueton — Carbine
- Daudeteau Dovitis (Uruguayan Conversion) — Conversion
Service history
Operators
- French Navy · adopted 1896
- Uruguayan Army · as Dovitis
- El Salvador
Production
Estimated total produced: 15,000 · Production years: 1896-1900
Roughly 10,000 infantry rifles plus ~5,000 carbines by Saint-Denis; a further ~10,000 Uruguayan Mausers were separately rebarreled as Dovitis conversions
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Louis Daudeteau
Discontinued: 1900
Notes
The Uruguayan 'Dovitis' rifles were Mauser M1871 actions rebarreled in France to 6.5mm Daudeteau via the merchant Antonio Dovitis, giving them a split identity: German Gothic markings on the receiver and French script on the barrel. The cartridge gained a poor reputation for hard primers and weak cases.
Background
Louis Daudeteau argued his small-bore 6.5mm was ballistically superior to France's own 8mm Lebel, and on paper he was right, but the French army rejected the rifle on a technicality, leaving it an export curiosity scattered across Indochina trials and LatAmerican arsenals.