Item Description
Original item: Only One Available. The Fusil Gras Modèle 1874 M80 was one of the primary French service rifle of the late 19th century. The Gras used by the French Army was an adaptation to metallic cartridge of the Chassepot Mle 1866 breech-loading rifle, developed by Colonel Basile Gras. The first examples were in fact conversions of the Chassepot, replacing the needle-fire system with a bolt action one.
The receiver on this nice service used example has lost the markings denoting it as an "MLE 1874", as well as the manufacturer marking. Underneath where it would be is M.80, for a later update to the action that added a channel for gas escape to the bolt and receiver, in the case of a ruptured primer. The rifle has an original issue date stamped into the barrel of C.1875, indicating that it was originally manufactured at Châtellerault Arsenal as a Chassepot in 1875. The rifle is marked with serial number A 33476 on the left side of the barrel, while the other serial numbers are all mis-matched, very common on converted and arsenal reconditioned rifles. There is also a faint "Perron" Tower of Liège proof from Belgium on the receiver, so it had work done there at some point.
The stock is in good shape, showing some arsenal reconditioning which has removed some of the original markings. The nose can and barrel band are loose, so the stock also definitely lost a good amount of wood when it was reconditioned. There are some minor repairs and the usual scuffs and wear from storage, but there are no major cracks. The metalwork looks to have been refinished at arsenal, and retains strong bluing on the receiver and barrel, while the bolt is bright steel, although there is light oxidation on top of all of this.
The rifle cycles with some resistance and it can be stiff due to wear and age, as it has seen much service. The rifle has a very good condition bore that is mostly bright overall with strong visible lands and grooves. There is scattered oxidation in the grooves, as expected from a black powder rifle that has seen very long service, but for a black powder rifle the bore is still relatively nice. Both sling swivels are still present and functional. There is a cleaning rod present which appears to be correct for a Gras.
Included with the rifle is a correct M1874 Gras bayonet with its original scabbard. The bayonet is in good but heavily service-worn condition with some light oxidation to the blade. It is marked on the spine M're d'Armes de St. Étienne Janvier 1877, indicating original manufacture at the arsenal in St. Étienne in January 1877. It correctly mounts to the rifle and locks into place.
A very nice M-1874 Gras rifle with the correct M1874 Gras bayonet, ready to display!
Specifications (Rifle):-
Year of Manufacture: 1875 - converted circa 1881
Caliber: 11×59mmR Gras
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 32 Inches
Overall Length: 51.4 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: Single Shot
Specifications (Bayonet):-
Blade Length: 20 1/2"
Blade Style: T-shaped
Overall length: 25½"
Crossguard: 4”
Scabbard Length: 21⅛”
The French Fusil "Gras" Modèle 1874 Rifle had a caliber of 11mm and used black powder centerfire cartridges that weighed 25 grams. It was a robust and hard-hitting weapon, but it had no magazine and so could only fire one shot after loading. It also had a triangular-shaped sword bayonet, known as the Model 1874 "Gras" sword bayonet. 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.
The Hellenic Army adopted the Gras in 1877, and it was used in all conflicts up until the Second World War. It became the favourite weapon of Greek guerrilla fighters, from the various revolts against the Ottoman Empire to the resistance against the Axis, acquiring legendary status. The name entered the Greek language, and grades (γκράδες) was a term colloquially applied to all rifles during the first half of the 20th century. It was manufactured by various arms factories in France, though most of the rifles sent to Greece were made by the ŒWG Austrian Arms Factory at Steyr.
NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.
- This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey
This product is available for international shipping.
IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.
These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
