Fusil Modèle 1822
Manufacture Royale d'Armes de Saint-Étienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1822
Also known as: Modèle 1822, M1822, Fusil d'infanterie Mle 1822, Model 1822 Musket
Overview
The Fusil Modèle 1822 is a .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore muzzle-loading musket and the last flintlock infantry musket adopted for widespread service in the French Army. Manufactured at the royal arsenals of Saint-Étienne, Charleville, Maubeuge and Mutzig, it featured a conventional forward-action lock and a three-band full-length stock with a socket bayonet. From 1841 large numbers were converted to percussion ignition as the Modèle 1822T, and from 1860 many were further rifled in .708 caliber as the Modèle 1822T bis. Surplus examples were imported in quantity by the United States during the American Civil War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4400 g (155.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1473 mm (57.99") |
| Barrel Length | 1080 mm (42.52") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 427 m/s (1401 fps) |
| Effective Range | 91 m (100 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 274 m (300 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | White Metal |
Calibers
- .69 Caliber Musket Ball · primary — also known as 0.69 in, 17.5 mm ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Three Barrel Bands, Socket Bayonet Lug, Ramrod, Forward Action Lock
Variants
- Fusil Modèle 1822 Voltigeurs — Light Infantry
- Fusil Modèle 1822T — Percussion Conversion
- Fusil Modèle 1822T bis — Rifled Conversion
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1822 · as Fusil d'infanterie Modèle 1822
- United States (American Civil War imports) · adopted 1861
Conflicts
- Conquest of Algeria (1830-1847)
- Crimean War (1853-1856)
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Production years: 1822-1842
Produced across multiple French arsenals over roughly two decades; many later converted to percussion (1822T) and rifled (1822T bis). About 147,000 imported to the United States in the first 18 months of the Civil War.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Discontinued: 1842
Notes
Standard line-infantry pattern figures; the Voltigeur light-infantry version used a shorter barrel and lighter weight. Percussion-converted (1822T) and rifled (1822T bis) specimens differ in lock and bore. Muzzle velocity is approximate for a period smoothbore.
Background
The Modèle 1822 marked the close of the flintlock era in French service. Rather than scrap them when percussion ignition arrived, the French ran an enormous conversion program, turning thousands of 1822 flintlocks into percussion 1822T muskets and later rifling them as 1822T bis, squeezing decades more service from the same iron.