RSC Modele 1917
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Discontinued · 1917
Also known as: Fusil Automatique Modele 1917, Fusil RSC Mle 1917, RSC Mle 1917
Overview
The RSC Modele 1917 is a French gas-operated, semi-automatic service rifle adopted by the French Army during the latter part of World War I. Chambered for the 8x50mmR Lebel cartridge, it used a long-stroke gas piston driving a rotating bolt and was fed from a five-round internal box magazine loaded with a special en-bloc clip. With roughly 85,000 produced, it was the first semi-automatic rifle to be issued in large numbers to a combat army, though its complexity, length, and sensitivity to mud limited its frontline success.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 5250 g (185.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1331 mm (52.40") |
| Barrel Length | 798 mm (31.42") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 701 m/s (2300 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3144 J (2319 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8x50mmR Lebel · primary — also known as 8mm Lebel, Cartouche Mle 1886, 8x50R
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: En Bloc Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Gas Operated Rotating Bolt, Clip Fed Internal Magazine, Uses Modified Berthier Clips
Variants
- RSC Modele 1918 — Shortened
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1917 · as Fusil Automatique Modele 1917
Conflicts
- World War I (1917-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 85,333 · Production years: 1916-1918
Approximately 85,000 Mle 1917 rifles produced at MAS, with components from MAT and MAC factories, before production ended in November 1918.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Ribeyrolle, Sutter, and Chauchat
Discontinued: 1918
Notes
Named for its designers Ribeyrolle, Sutter, and Chauchat (R.S.C.). Many surviving rifles were later converted to manually operated bolt-action by blocking the gas port during the 1930s. A shortened, refined Modele 1918 variant followed but saw little wartime use.
Background
The RSC Modele 1917 was the first self-loading rifle issued in quantity to any army's frontline infantry, fielded by France in the final years of WWI as a leap-ahead over the bolt-action Lebel and Berthier rifles.