Kropatschek Mle 1878 Marine
Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (Steyr) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1878
Also known as: Fusil de Marine Mle 1878, Kropatschek 1878 Marine, French Naval Kropatschek
Overview
The Kropatschek Mle 1878 'Fusil de Marine' was a bolt-action, tube-magazine repeating rifle designed by Alfred von Kropatschek and adopted by the French Navy to replace the Chassepot. Chambered for the 11mm Gras cartridge and fed from a seven-round Winderless-style brass tubular magazine in the forestock with a magazine cut-off, it was the first commercially successful Kropatschek design and the direct ancestor of the French Lebel Mle 1886. Roughly 25,000 were built by Steyr in Austria.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4350 g (153.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1243 mm (48.94") |
| Barrel Length | 665 mm (26.18") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tube |
| Muzzle Velocity | 450 m/s (1476 fps) |
| Effective Range | 600 m (656 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 | Polished White |
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
Service history
Operators
- French Navy · adopted 1878 · as Fusil de Marine Mle 1878
- Spanish Navy
- Chilean Armed Forces
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 25,000 · Production years: 1878-1881
Order of 25,000 placed in 1878, deliveries completed by 1881; delivered polished in the white as was common for naval small arms. Small batches also went to Spain and Chile.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Alfred von Kropatschek
Discontinued: 1885
Notes
Distinct from the single-shot Fusil Gras Mle 1874; the Kropatschek 1878 adds a tubular magazine making it a repeater. Its action and magazine layout directly informed the design of the Mle 1886 Lebel.
Background
Delivered 'in the white' with bright polished steel rather than blued, the naval Kropatschek pioneered the tube-magazine repeater layout that France would later wrap around smokeless powder to create the world-shaking Lebel rifle.