Fusil Gras Mle 1874/14
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1914
Also known as: Mle 1874 M14, Gras 1874/14, Fusil Gras M80 M14, Mle 1874 M80 M14
Overview
The Fusil Gras Mle 1874/14 is a French single-shot bolt-action rifle: a First World War conversion of the black-powder 11mm Gras Mle 1874/M80 rebarreled to fire the smokeless 8x50mmR Lebel cartridge. Faced with a chronic rifle shortage after 1914, France reworked large stocks of obsolete Gras rifles to the standard service cartridge so they could equip territorial, second-line, colonial and rear-area troops, freeing modern Lebel and Berthier rifles for the front. It retained the simple, robust single-shot Gras action while gaining the flatter trajectory and greater range of the modern round.
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 | 700 m/s (2297 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3136 J (2313 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8x50mmR Lebel · primary — also known as 8mm Lebel, Cartouche Mle 1886, Balle D, Balle N, 8x51mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Single Round Manual
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Single Shot, Rebarreled To 8mm Lebel, Centerfire Metallic Cartridge, Leaf Rear Sight, Bayonet Lug, Cleaning Rod
Base model
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1914 · as Fusil Mle 1874 M14
- Hellenic Army
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1914-1918
Conversions of existing Mle 1874/M80 Gras rifles rather than new manufacture; exact numbers of rifles rebarreled to 8mm Lebel are not reliably documented.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Basile Gras
Discontinued: 1918
Notes
The '/14' (M14) suffix denotes the 1914 modification to 8mm Lebel. Because the action loads only one round at a time, the conversions were relegated to guard, garrison and colonial duties rather than frontline combat. Many later passed to Greece and other allied nations.
Background
Rather than scrap its warehouses of obsolete black-powder Gras rifles, France simply rebored them to the modern 8mm Lebel round in 1914, turning 40-year-old single-shots back into serviceable arms for guards, garrisons and colonial units during the manpower and materiel crisis of the Great War.