Mousqueton d'Artillerie Gras Mle 1874
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1874
Also known as: Mousqueton d'Artillerie Mle 1874, Mousqueton Gras 1874 M80, Gras Artillery Musketoon
Overview
The Mousqueton d'Artillerie Gras Mle 1874 is a French single-shot bolt-action carbine, the short artillery musketoon version of the Fusil Gras Mle 1874 system designed by Colonel Basile Gras. Chambered for the same 11x59mmR Gras black-powder metallic cartridge as the infantry rifle, it was issued to artillery crews and other second-line troops who needed a handier weapon than the full-length rifle. It is distinguished by its shortened barrel, brass furniture, bent bolt handle and left-hand rifling, and retained a bayonet lug for the Mle 1866 sword-bayonet.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3300 g (116.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 990 mm (38.98") |
| Barrel Length | 502 mm (19.76") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Barrel Rifling | Left Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 11x59mmR Gras · primary — also known as 11mm Gras, Balle 1874 M, 11x59R
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Single Round Manual
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Single Shot, Centerfire Metallic Cartridge, Brass Furniture, Bent Bolt Handle, Leaf Rear Sight, Bayonet Lug, Shortened Carbine Barrel
Base model
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1874 · as Mousqueton d'Artillerie Mle 1874
Conflicts
- French colonial campaigns (1874-1900s)
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1874-1884
Produced as the short carbine member of the Gras Mle 1874 family; individual musketoon production figures are not separately documented.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Basile Gras
Discontinued: 1886
Notes
Most surviving examples were later brought up to the M80 standard (Mousqueton d'Artillerie Mle 1874 M80). Built at the French state arsenals of Saint-Etienne, Chatellerault and Tulle. Sources give the overall length as about 0.99 m and weight as roughly 3.26-3.3 kg.
Background
The artillery musketoon was the shortest member of the Gras family, based on the compact foot-gendarmerie carbine, and its brass fittings and yatagan-bladed Mle 1866 bayonet made it as much a mark of the gunner's trade as a weapon.