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Rifle 11 mm Chassepot 171866/74

The French Needle Rifle was France's answer to Prussia's Dreyse Needle Rifle. This breech loading rifle was designed by Antoine Alphonse Chassepot, a foreman at a French artillery arsenal, and introduced into the French Army as Fusil Mod 66. By 1873, France had the Chassepot converted for a metallic cartridge. Many of these conversions were carried out under the British Kynoch Patent at Anston, England. In 1874, France adopted the Gras conversion, Chatelleraut and St Etienne being the main centers of work. This particular rifle was converted at St Etienne, hence the name engraved on the receiver. The introduction of the Gras cartridge was an important step forward, the primer being located in the centre of the base of the cartridge, which meant that the needle no longer had to pass through the whole powder charge and was not therefore exposed to the damaging effects of burning gas. Another feature of the conversion was the fitting of a rubber obturator on the bolt head to seal the cartridge chamber. The production of this was complicated and not entirely successful, as the heat produced by firing caused the rubber to become brittle and eventually disintegrate.