Beaumont M1873 Colonial
Geweerfabriek Hembrug · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1873
Also known as: Klein-Geweer M.73, Beaumont Colonial Rifle, M1873 Colonial Beaumont
Overview
The Beaumont M1873 Colonial was a single-shot bolt-action service rifle developed from Edouard de Beaumont's M1871 for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) in the Dutch East Indies. Chambered for the 11mm Beaumont black-powder centerfire cartridge, it retained the M1871's hallmark V-shaped leaf mainspring concealed inside the hollow bolt handle. For tropical colonial service its barrel, breech, sights, and bayonet were browned rather than left bright to resist corrosion in humid climates, and its quadrant rear sight was graduated in paces out to 1,200.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4415 g (155.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1320 mm (51.97") |
| Barrel Length | 832 mm (32.76") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 405 m/s (1329 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1722 J (1270 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 600 m (656 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 12 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Browned |
Calibers
- 11x52mmR Dutch Beaumont · primary — also known as 11mm Beaumont, 11.3x50mmR, 11.3x51R, 11x52R
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch, Bolt Locking Latch
- Features: Single Shot, Metallic Cartridge, Leaf Mainspring In Bolt Handle, Browned Metalwork, Split Bridge Receiver, Bayonet Lug, Quadrant Rear Sight
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Royal Netherlands East Indies Army · adopted 1873 · as Klein-Geweer M.73
Conflicts
- Aceh War (1873-1914)
Production
Estimated total produced: 35,000 · Production years: 1873-1881
Colonial-pattern Beaumont rifles for KNIL service; superseded by Mannlicher M1895 patterns from the 1890s
Origin
Country of origin: Netherlands
Designer: Edouard de Beaumont
Discontinued: 1881
Notes
Also called the Klein-Geweer M.73. Roughly 35,000 were issued to KNIL forces during the colonial campaigns of the 1870s and 1880s. Built at the Dutch state works and by contractors including P. Stevens and E. de Beaumont of Maastricht and J.F.J. Bar of Delft.
Background
Sent to fight in the steaming jungles of the Dutch East Indies, the Colonial Beaumont was deliberately given a dull browned finish so that no glint of bright steel would betray a soldier in the green, and so that the relentless tropical humidity would not eat its metalwork alive.