French Chassepot/Gras Mod 1866/74 M80 Cavalry Carbine. 46” overall, 28” 11mm 4 groove rifled barrel. Ladder rear sight to 1000m. Bolt action breech with down turned bolt handle. Action stamped ‘F37321’, bolt ‘Q83020’ & cocking piece ‘F95930’. Receiver stamped ‘MANUFACTURE IMPERIALE St. Étienne’ & ‘Mle.1866-74’ & ‘M80’. Figured walnut full stock with brass trigger guard, two barrel bands & a brass nose cap, steel clearing rod. Faint roundel on L/H. With many inspectors’ stamps.
Circa 1866
In good condition, bore a little worn, mismatched numbers
The Gras Modèle 1874 M80 was a French service rifle of the 19th century. The Gras used by the French Army was an adaptation to metallic cartridge of the Chassepot breech-loading rifle by Colonel Basile Gras.This rifle is chambered in 11mm and used black powder centrefire cartridges. It was a robust and hard-hitting single shot weapon. It was replaced by the Lebel rifle in 1886, the first rifle to use smokeless gunpowder. In the meantime, about 400,000 Gras rifles had been manufactured. The metallic-cartridge Gras was manufactured in response to the development of the metallic cartridge designed by Colonel Boxer in 1866 (Boxer cartridge), and the British 1870 Martini-Henry rifle. Those were soon emulated by the Germans with the 1871 Mauser.