Gras Mle 1866/74 M80
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1874
Also known as: Fusil Gras Mle 1866-74, Mle 1866/74 Gras, Chassepot-Gras conversion, M80 Gras
Overview
The Gras Mle 1866/74 M80 is a single-shot bolt-action rifle created by converting the earlier Chassepot Mle 1866 needle-fire rifle to fire the 11x59mmR Gras black-powder centerfire metallic cartridge. The conversion, designed around Colonel Basile Gras's system, reused the existing Chassepot receiver, barrel, and furniture but replaced the perishable rubber breech seal and needle mechanism with a new bolt and self-sealing brass cartridge case. The later M80 update added a gas-escape channel through the bolt and receiver to vent the products of a ruptured primer. Visually similar to the new-production Mle 1874, these converted rifles served alongside it as a standard French infantry arm until the smokeless-powder Lebel Mle 1886 superseded them.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4200 g (148.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1310 mm (51.57") |
| Barrel Length | 795 mm (31.30") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 454 m/s (1490 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2566 J (1893 ft·lbf) |
| 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, Balle 1874 M, 11x59R
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Single Shot, Metallic Cartridge, Chassepot Conversion, Gas Escape Channel, Cleaning Rod, Bayonet Lug, Ladder Rear Sight
Base model
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1874 · as Fusil Mle 1866-74
- Hellenic Army
Conflicts
- Sino-French War (1884-1885)
- Greco-Turkish War (1897)
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 400,000 · Production years: 1874-1886
Roughly 400,000 Gras-pattern rifles were produced or converted; the 1866/74 figures reflect large-scale conversions of existing Chassepot rifles rather than new manufacture
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Basile Gras
Discontinued: 1886
Notes
The '1866' in the designation refers to the original Chassepot pattern that was converted; the '74' marks the Gras-system conversion. Conversions were carried out at the French state arsenals of Saint-Etienne, Chatellerault, and Tulle. Standard infantry conversions retained full infantry dimensions; shorter cavalry, artillery, and so-called 'camel' short-rifle conversions also exist with reduced barrel and overall lengths.
Background
Born from thrift as much as engineering, the 1866/74 let France give a second life to its huge stock of Chassepot needle rifles by reboring and rebreeching them for a modern brass cartridge. Decades later, obsolete Gras rifles were dragged out of arsenal storage in World War I for rear-area and colonial troops, and the rugged 11mm round kept turning up in the hands of Greek soldiers and Balkan irregulars well into the 20th century.