Gras M1874
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1874
Also known as: Fusil Gras Mle 1874, Fusil Modele 1874, Gras rifle, M80 Gras
Overview
The Gras M1874 was the standard service rifle of the French Army from 1874, designed by Colonel Basile Gras as a metallic-cartridge conversion and improvement of the earlier Chassepot needle-fire rifle. A single-shot bolt-action rifle chambered for the 11x59mmR Gras black-powder centerfire cartridge, it replaced the Chassepot's perishable rubber breech seal with a robust self-sealing brass cartridge case. It remained France's frontline infantry rifle until the introduction of the smokeless-powder Lebel Mle 1886, after which it continued in second-line, colonial, and foreign service for decades.
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, Cleaning Rod, Bayonet Lug, Ladder Rear Sight
Variants
- Carabine de Cavalerie M1874 — Carbine
- Mousqueton d'Artillerie M1874 — Carbine
- Gras M1874 M80 — Improved
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1874 · as Fusil Modele 1874
- Hellenic Army
Conflicts
- Sino-French War (1884-1885)
- Greco-Turkish War (1897)
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1874-1886
Production figures include large-scale conversions of existing Chassepot rifles to the Gras pattern
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Basile Gras
Discontinued: 1886
Notes
Large numbers of existing Chassepot rifles were converted to the Gras pattern (Mle 1866-74). Modernised as the M80 with an improved breechblock and later as the M14 to fire the 8x50mmR Lebel cartridge. Produced at the French state arsenals of Saint-Etienne, Chatellerault, and Tulle.
Background
Though obsolete by the time war broke out in 1914, hundreds of thousands of Gras rifles were pulled from arsenal storage in World War I, issued to rear-area and colonial troops, and some were even lashed to improvised tripods to be fired at low-flying aircraft.