Yes. You´re correct. The bolt sure looks a little different. Yes, correct. That black thingy there is the rubber obturator.
Thing is, the basic idea carries loads of merit and actually works 100% fine with Triple 7 as well as holy black as well as Duplex loads.
Yep. The Chassepot is one STRONG rifle, seeing its age, and will take rather stiff loads no questions asked. That said i HAVE NOT tried smokeless in it, and nor will i ever. No point, this is a bonafide blackpowder rifle after all.
Back.. to history.
So.
The Chassepot is up and running and to put this into context it brings that production comes to almost two million!
Approx 1 million of them made by the French, the rest made all over Europe. England, Spain, Italy, Belgium and so on and so on. To state the Chassepot was a grand hit and the wave of the future?
Yeah, and as history has it... then some.
Now. There´s an old European saying.
No Dybböl then no Köninggrätz and no Königgrätz no Paris.. and no Paris no Germany.
During the US civil war, 1864, the Preussians invaded Denmark and kicked the living crap out of them at Dybböl. One of the major reasons for this happening was that the Preussians had developed the Dreyse needle rifle which had been commisioned since approx the 1840´s. The Dreyse also a needle gun and thus a breech loader, bringing firepower up in a manner where muzzle loaders would be like shooting sitting ducks basically.
So.. Dybböl, check.
Then the Preussians turn on Austria/Hungary which leads to the very famed battle of Königgrätz. where the Austrians in essence get their asses handed to them out of the same reasons the Danes did.
So. Austria, check.
France at this time started to squirm being Preussias neighbour.. and arrives on that rather than being attacked they invade Preussia instead.
So. The Chassepot is put into use, and it shows being the WAY WAY WAY better rifle than the Dreyse. Especially so longer range.
However, what good did that do as the Preussians had developed their "Krupp Stahl" for their cannons and large guns.. and there the French were equipped with smooth bore cannons since the Napoleon wars at the start of the 1800´s.
No contest really, but the Franco- Preussian war turns into.. a very very complex proposition. With Napoleon the 3d to surrender while the French people not..
Why Paris was under seige for the better part of -70/-71. ...and due Germany, as a state, was born at Versailles of all places in 1871. So no, Germany per se isn´t especially old to be honest..
Due result tho insane amounts of Chassepot rifled were seized and brought back to Germany and guess what... At that exact time Peter Mauser introduces his first Mauser! LOL
Having studied them both, the Mauser that started it all is nothing but a Chassepot intended for a unity brass cartridge. Something the French did as well in 1874, converting most Chassepot rifles left making them Gras rifles.
Basically the same rifle, just chambered for a regular brass cartridge.
So. As you can gather the Chassepot is a very very important piece of kit seeing ITS history and history per se. Indeed. "the worlds first modern rifle".
To us here in Viking land the Chassepot is also the rifle that falls between the chairs as it per definition is permit exempt. Hence, you can just pick them up and, to the letter, fire away.
Over the yrs this has led to that i´ve had quite a few of them through my shop, and see NO reason what so ever to make that come to a halt. Under ways finding out more and more about them, and how to bring them into the 21st century.
Ie; how to put them to good use today.
Sure. There´s those models that should be kept stock at all cost but truth be told them are scarce and for the rest of them.. hey guys.. TWO MILLION of them! HELLO!
Do with a Chassepot what you see fit i say.
Be that as it may, the "specials" then.
Yeah.
This is one of them. Approx 60k were made buuuut...the absolute majority of them were converted to Gras specs why finding ANY cavalry Chassepot (which this is) is a feat and finding one that´s about mint.. is plain out.
This one tho..is.
The cavalry Chasse is simple to identify. First up, all brass furniture. Second up, no provision for a bayonet. Barrel is shorted some and stock is shorted some - vs the regular infantry rifle that is.
Well, a few jobs i did pull. As a gun, to me, that won´t shoot is just a dead piece of metal and wood what needs to be done needs to be done. Maintenance.
Uhu. A St Etienne gun no doubt. No. Gun has not been "worked upon". None.. It is this well preserved.
Another such difference vs the infantry rifle, or the absolute majority of them at least, is that the bolt handle comes out mid ships and is in turn turned down 90deg so it won´t hit the horseman in his back.
For those of you that have never seen the mint bore of a 45cal rifle made back in 1870.. this is it. Fast twist, indeed.
Yes. Action looks just as nice, and with the install of a fresh obturator also works just as good. Thing is in reality a time capsule really.
A really lovely, and light to boot, single shot from back when they were invented. Thing shoots well too, by now i´ve put like 400 rnds through it, and it just goes boom every time.
Culprit to solve still though is the one of soot, cause soot these guns do it´ll drive you insane!!! 4 rounds max.. then bolt out and a bronze brush put to work.
Yet another 4 rounds... you get it.
Having read up online though i want to go on record and state that if you run into a working Chassepot (firing needles and rubber obturators are service spares and readily available) pick it up!
What gets most that are fresh to the Chassepot is the ammo for them but seeing we´ve certainly solved that part.. If you wish to make cartridges up that are historically correct, feel free to.
Seeing how labor intense that is though.. that´s not how you handle making rounds to bring the friends of yours for some plinking... them "jumbo straws" truly are da bomb.
VERY VERY fast to make, works kind of like Lego, and works EVERY time (in contrast to most takes on the original cartridges).
In summary a cheap high power rifle to keep in service..
Mark. Seeing them 500 grain pills exit at 1300+ is commonplace. A little trix and do´s and don´ts...and you´re soon climbing vs 1400.
..n see 500 grains at 1400fps is one rather stiff powerhouse.