Kropatschek Mle 1885
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1885
Also known as: Fusil d'Infanterie Mle 1885, Kropatschek Modèle 1885, French Kropatschek 1885
Overview
The Kropatschek Mle 1885 was a bolt-action, tube-magazine repeating infantry rifle adopted by the French Army as the Fusil d'Infanterie Modèle 1885, an improved development of the Mle 1884. Designed around Alfred von Kropatschek's tubular-magazine action and built at the Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault, it was chambered for the 11mm Gras (11x59mmR) black-powder cartridge and fed from an eight-round magazine housed in the forend beneath the barrel, with a magazine cut-off allowing single-loading. It was the last of the French 11mm Kropatschek infantry rifles and served as the immediate stepping stone to the smokeless-powder Lebel Mle 1886, whose feed system it directly inspired.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4300 g (151.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1320 mm (51.97") |
| Barrel Length | 820 mm (32.28") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tube |
| Muzzle Velocity | 450 m/s (1476 fps) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1800 m (1968 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 11x59mmR Gras · primary — also known as 11mm Gras, 11x59R, Cartouche Mle 1874
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Magazine Cut Off, Half Cock
- Features: Tubular Magazine, Magazine Cut Off Lever, Ramp And Leaf Sight, Bayonet Lug, Full Length Handguard
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1885 · as Fusil d'Infanterie Mle 1885
Production
Production years: 1885-1886
Produced in limited numbers at Châtellerault before the Lebel Mle 1886 superseded all black-powder French repeaters; exact totals are not well documented.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Alfred von Kropatschek
Discontinued: 1886
Notes
Refined version of the Mle 1884, differing in minor detail improvements to the action, magazine and furniture. It was produced only briefly before the smokeless Lebel Mle 1886 rendered black-powder repeaters obsolete, so its tube-magazine layout was carried over almost intact into the Lebel design.
Background
The Mle 1885 was the final French 11mm Kropatschek and lasted barely a year as the army's frontline repeater — its under-barrel tube magazine was almost immediately wrapped around the new Poudre B smokeless powder to create the Lebel Mle 1886, the first smokeless-powder military rifle ever fielded.