Musket model 1777
| Musket model 1777 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | Mousquet Modèle 1777 |
| Country of operation: | France |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Jean-Baptiste Vaquette / Manufacture d'Armes de Charleville |
| Development year: | 1776 |
| Manufacturer country: |
French Kingdom |
| Production time: | 1777 to 1826 |
| Model variants: | Modèle 1777 corrigé en l'an IX |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1510 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 4.5 kg |
| Barrel length : | 1130 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | .69 (17.5 mm) |
| Cadence : | 2-3 rounds / min |
| Charging principle: | Muzzle loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
Mousquet Modèle 1777 (German: musket Model 1777) is the name of a flintlock - infantry - gun (also: musket ), which was produced in 1777 for the army of the French kingdom. The weapon was best known for its role as the standard rifle used by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars .
development
The musket was the further development of a weapon from 1717, which resulted in various improvements in the 1777 model. The 1717 model was the first French-made musket to be manufactured according to a decree of January 4, 1717 according to uniform guidelines.
The 1777 model differed from its direct predecessor in that it had a simple brass sight , the front sight of which was placed on the front retaining strap, a modified mounting device for the ramrod and a revised lock .
Technology and function
It is a muzzle loader with smooth bore in caliber mm 17.5. The gun had to be loaded with black powder and a round bullet by the shooter before each shot .
Paper cartridges were given to the soldiers as ammunition. To load the weapon, the shooter had to bite off the upper end of the cartridge together with the round ball it contained. He first poured some black powder from the open case into the powder pan of the battery lock and locked the pan. The remaining powder was poured into the barrel of the gun. The shooter pushed the round ball into the barrel and stuffed the paper afterwards as a plug. The paper was pressed onto the ball with the ramrod and the ball firmly onto the powder charge in order to compress it. Then the cock could be cocked from the loading rest to the fire rest and the weapon could be fired.
Each soldier carried three spare flints and about 50 cartridges. After 10 to 12 shots, the flint had to be replaced. The basic equipment of the weapon included a bayonet about 30 centimeters long .
rating
Although the weapon already reached a firing range of 1,000 meters, it is described as unsuitable for combat distances of over 100 meters. The soldiers were deployed in closed formations, in which the troops fired in rows and at the same time volleys of round balls at similar formations of the enemy in order to increase the probability of hits. Such heavy losses were inflicted on an opponent at short ranges, but from around 300 meters the weapon was largely ineffective, even against large enemy formations.
The gun suffered from the coarse-grained black powder used, so it had to be cleaned thoroughly after about 50 shots. The construction itself was prone to misfires, one of which came in six rounds. Although the achievable cadence of an expert under optimal conditions is given as 5 rounds per minute, in reality it was significantly lower and even fell to just four rounds in three minutes with a dirty barrel.
variants
Barrel length
For infantrymen , dragoons , artillerymen and marines there were variants of the model 1777 with barrels of different lengths.
- Infantry - standard version with 1510 mm total length
- Artillery - shortened barrel with a total length of the weapon of 1300 mm
- Dragoons - Shortened barrel with a total length of the weapon of 1460 mm, middle retaining strap made of iron, the others made of brass
- Marine - Like dragoon version only with three brass bands
Modèle 1777 modified to IX
Modèle 1777 modifié an IX (German: Model 1777 modified in the ninth year), was a variant of the 1777 model that was developed in the ninth year of the revolutionary calendar , i.e. between 1801 and 1802. However, the changes were minimal. The technical data are given as follows:
- Total length: 1522 mm
- Barrel length: 1137 mm
- Weight: 4.75 kg (without bayonet)
- Caliber: 17.5 mm
- Bullet diameter: 16.5 mm
Individual evidence
- ↑ Harold L. Peterson: Arms and Armor in Colonial America, 1526–1783 , p. 172
- ^ A b Harold L. Peterson: Arms and Armor in Colonial America, 1526–1783 , p. 176
- ^ A b David G. Chandler: The Campaigns of Napoleon , p. 341
- ^ David G. Chandler: The Campaigns of Napoleon , p. 342
- ↑ Le fusil d'infanterie de 17.5 mm modèle 1777 modified to IX. armesfrancaises.free.fr, accessed on August 21, 2019 (French).
literature
- David G. Chandler: The Campaigns of Napoleon , Scribner, 1966, ISBN 0-02-523660-1 (English)
- Hans-Dieter Götz: Military rifles and pistols of the German states 1800-1870 , 2nd edition, 1996, ISBN 3-87943-533-2
- Harold L. Peterson: Arms and Armor in Colonial America, 1526-1783 , Dover Publications Inc, 2000, ISBN 978-0-486-41244-3
Web links
- Le fusil d'infanterie de 17,5 mm modèle 1777 modified to IX on the private web presence armesfrancaises.free.fr
- Klaus Grimm: The vigilante's rifle - the grenadier and voltigeur rifle of the French model 1777 corrige 'or the infantry muskets 1777/1822, "percussed" in Hesse, ordered to Darmstadt on October 10, 1839. In: Series of publications by the local association "Oald Bensem ". February 1997, p. 18 ff. , Accessed on May 9, 2016 .