More Mle1866-74 M1874 & M.80 French Gras

Mle1866-74, Mle1874 & M.80 French Gras   (Image of this rifle courtesy of Darryl Goss) GENERALLY:   The Mle1874 Gras and conversions of the Mle1866 to Mle1866-74 Gras is named for its designer, Artillery Captain Basile Gras, and is basically a conversion of the Mle1866 Chassepot, a needle fire weapon, to the metallic cartridge.  In this time frame, France was engaged in a substantial arms race with Germany and adoption of the Mod. 71 German Mauser Infantrie-Gewehr, a center fire, metallic cartridge rifle considerably superior to the earlier German needle-fire Dreyse heated things up considerably.   Although the Mle1866 Chassepot was of adequate range and flat enough trajectory, the breach sealing mechanism of the rubber washer was a definite handicap.   The Gras was BOTH a conversion of the Chassepot utilizing the entire rifle except for a redesigned bolt head mounting a cartridge extractor without separate ejector, and, owing to the need for modern arms, newly manufactured, even before the Chasspots were converted.   Gras rifles manufactured by Styer were also adopted by Greece to replace the earlier Mylonas rifle of Greek design, and French rifles were adopted in Columbia, Russia and Chili. PHOTO: The rifle shown is a Mle1874 M.80 Gras DISTINGUISHING CHARECTERISTICS:  The Mle1874 has a two piece bolt (that is the bolt head is detachable and rotates) and later models had a modified rear sight and somewhat altered cleaning rod.   The Mle1866-74 is so marked on the receiver, the Mle1874 carrying only the designation Mle1874.  Interestingly, large quantities of the Mle1874 were manufactured prior to the conversion ofMle1866-74.    In 1880 an annular channel was cut into the receiver and just behind the chamber as well as a longitudinal groove in the event of a case head failure or primer rupture which was a common enough occurrence with ammunition from the 1870's.  Rifles with this alteration are stamped M.80 on the left side of the receiver below the manufacturer’s name. MISC NOTES:  The Gras Cartridge saw fairly wide service for a cartridge of this era being utilized in not only the Gras, but in several varieties of Kropatcheks, 3 Greek rifles, the WWI Vickers machine gun and in varieties of anti-aircraft and anit-balloon roles, etc.) FURTHER READINGS: (* means all who are seriously interested in this area should have!) *Rifles of the World , John Walter, DBI Books, 1993, pgs ______ *Military Bolt Action Rifles 1841-1918, Donald B. Webster, Museum Restoration Service, Alexandria Bay, NY, 1993, pgs ____ *The History and Development of Small Arms Ammunition, George A. Hoyem, VOL II-Centerfire Primitive and Martial Long Arms, Armory Publications, Tacoma, 1982 pgs ____ *Military Rifle and Machine Gun Cartridges, Jean Huon, Ironside, Alexandria, VA, 1988, Pgs ___ Small Arms of the World, W.H.B.Smith, Stackpole, many revised editions since 1960. The Book of Rifles, W.H.B.Smith, Stackpole, many editions since 1948. Pictorial History of the Rifle, G.W.P. Swenson, Drake Publishers (also Pub by Crown/Bonanza), 1972, pgs ___ Cartridges of the World, Frank C. Barnes, DBI Books, 1965-1977 (now in it's 8th edition).                                                                         Muzzle of the Mle1866 Chasspot which has been converted to Mle1866-74 Gras.     It carries what had been the cleaning rod of the Mle1866 needle fire Chasspot            Muzzle of a second Mle1866 Chasspot which has been converted to Mle1866-74 Gras            Muzzle of a newly made Mle1874 Gras.  Gras were actually put into production and being built before conversion of the Mel1866 Chasspots wwas undertaken.            A converted Mle1866 to Mle1866-74 Gras.       This Gras has not been modified with the M.80 gas escape channels.              This is the marking for the "Modifie 80" modified rifles            And this is what the modification is about; the cutting of channels to allow gas     from a ruptured cartridge to escape.