Brass Napoleon Award French & Belgian Infantry arms of the American Civil War

Brazilin Light Minnie Rifle.jpg

The picture comes from College Hill Arsenal

Brazilian Light Minnie Rifle M1857 a Belgian copy of the P56 Enfield with French barrel bands & a Belgian rear sight. The US imported 5-6k of them.
 
An oddball of the group...https://poulinantiques.hibid.com/lot/23431-16210-41037/tanner-and-co--belgium-rifle-musket-/

Receiving a contract from the Texas Military Board for arms for the State of Texas, Tanner & Company of Bastrop, Texas produced an estimated 264 Muskets.

These are found to be based on a cross of the 1840, and 1842 French style Muskets, mostly .69 caliber, a “back Lock”, or “Rear Action” style lock with Belgian proof marks, a unseasoned walnut stock, with Texas stars stamped, or carved into the wood near the butt plate.

It appears that Tanner & Co. rifles were made up of parts imported from Europe, coming most likely through Mexico.


Kevin Dally
 
An oddball of the group...https://poulinantiques.hibid.com/lot/23431-16210-41037/tanner-and-co--belgium-rifle-musket-/

Receiving a contract from the Texas Military Board for arms for the State of Texas, Tanner & Company of Bastrop, Texas produced an estimated 264 Muskets.

These are found to be based on a cross of the 1840, and 1842 French style Muskets, mostly .69 caliber, a “back Lock”, or “Rear Action” style lock with Belgian proof marks, a unseasoned walnut stock, with Texas stars stamped, or carved into the wood near the butt plate.

It appears that Tanner & Co. rifles were made up of parts imported from Europe, coming most likely through Mexico.


Kevin Dally
Those were most likely actually made by Tanner & Cie, a Liege gunmaker. The "Tanner & Co" arms are Belgian copies of the French M1857. All the markings are standard for a Tanner & Cie with Belgian proofs.

European Arms in the Civil War has a blurb about those arms.
 
the Brazilian Light Minie Rifle (information by littlegun):

O. P. Drissen & Cie

Capture.JPG


Here below are some information’s gathered in the Francis BALACE’s "L'armurerie liégeoise et la Guerre de Sécession 1861-1865" regarding the .577 caliber rifle supplied to the Ordnance Department by the Liège industry.

On July the 7th, 1861, John Pondir of Philadelphia was contracted by the Ordnance Department for the delivery of 10,000 rifles Minié .58 with their sword bayonets at the price of US$ 18,50 a piece. The weapons were to be delivered by lots of 1,000 as per November 1st. Pondir ordered the weapons in Liège, but due to the difficulties of mass production and transport, he had to ask for a delayed delivery.

On October 4th, 1862, he had delivered 11,372 rifles (of which 1,390 had been purchased on the open market).

The weapons were either "Chasseurs de Vincennes" carbines in the American caliber, or more likely Brazilian Minié .577 manufactured at Liège for the Don Pedro army (some among them were however used by a New York navy unit), that combined the characteristics of both the French carbines and the Enfield rifles.

Balace found two of these carbines: one was used by the 6th and 7th Ohio Cavalry Rgt at the battles of Whitestone Hill and Killdeer Mountain. It was manufactured by P.J. Malherbe & Cie. The other one bears the name of L. Lambin & Cie.

The Ohio markings: during the fall of 1862, the lack of cavalry weapons forced General Ripley to supply the Ohio and Iowa states with 1,900 "French .58 Light Carbines" for the new cavalry units created by these states. The mark Ohio was burned into the stock with a heat iron stamp.

The DC and anchor stamp is found on export weapons but also on US made ones used by the US Navy (Colt rifles, Spencer Navy Model, Marine Enfield). This stamp could be that of some Navy yard, but certainly not that of a maker.

Number of war rifles presented to the proof house by O.P. Driessen:

1857: 917

1858: 1.598

1859: 937

1860: 3.718

1861: 4.820

1862: 14.427

1863: 12.221

1864: 595

1865: 346

1866: 152

1867: 393 - end of activity
 
The top arm is an Austrian Jeager, an excellent arm... when issued w/ the correct ammo of .55 instead of the .54. These were a common site on western theatre Cav. It's problems were the wrong ammo & a fragile rear sight.

The bottom arm is a French Rifle, good accuracy though in .71 they had a heavy recoil. Several Illinois Regiments were issued these as well as the Rifle Musket version, preferring them to the P53 they were replaced w/ M1861 series arms in 1864.

View attachment 10725 Pic courtesy of google

reading the forum, I discovered that the French Carbine 1840 was also used in ACW.

The Model 1840, known as the Carbine de Munition. This rifle retained the Delvigne chambered breech but reduced the groove-to-groove caliber to 17.5mm (about .69 caliber), although most references measure the groove diameter at nominally .71 caliber).
It adopted a slightly shorter, 32.625” barrel and introduced more conventional, four-groove rifling for the bore with a rather slow twist of about 1:65, essentially ½ turn in the length of the barrel. The back action lock was also refined.
Finally, a long-range rear sight, consisting of a fixed notch 150 meters and folding leaf with apertures for 300, 400, 500 and 550 meters was added. The sight was not marked with graduations.
(dwg from Boudriot)
5.JPG


The new rifle, also known as the Carbine du Thierry, was iron mounted with a pair of spring-retained barrel bands, the upper slightly larger than the lower. The triggerguard tang retained the finger grooves that had been common on French muskets since the beginning of the 19th century, and a pair of sling swivels were provided on the lower barrel band and in the toe of the stock.
A saber bayonet lug without a guide key was located on the right side of the barrel near the muzzle. As with the Model 1837, a heavy cupped-head ramrod with a torque hole was provided to upset the ammunition in the Delvigne breech.
Bayonet ( dwg from Boudriot)
baio.JPG



The long chambered breech is clearly identifiable by the seam between the breech and barrel, which is visible just forward of the rear sight base. While the Model 1840 was the first widely issued rifled arm to see service with the French military, it was rather quickly superseded by the Model 1842 Rifle, which retained the Delvigne breech, but which forged the breech and bolster directly to the barrel, rather than threading the breech assembly into the barrel.

This is my Carbine:
1.JPG 2.JPG 99D.jpg DSC_0503.JPG DSC_0505.JPG 99E.jpg 99D.jpg IMG_20180813_103505.jpg DSC_0492.JPG


the Carbine use a particulary Cartridge: shoots a ball with a sabot (wooden cylinder) to allow the ball a uniform deformation
Ball diameter 17mm

xxxxxxxxxxx.JPG

compression schemas.JPG

I tried to shoot:
1.JPG
2.JPG


the shots are accurate, the ball goes out fast
3.JPG
 

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@Don Dixon , i have a question, you know what model they meant for "Chasseurs de Vincennes pattern rifle muskets"?
because it' a very difference Model ( 1837-1840-1865) I'm really interested on this news!

Urrrikane,

I wish that I could tell you.

The documentation in Sanford's voluminous files - correspondence, orders, invoices, bills of lading, etc. - simply describe the 4,409 imported weapons as Chasseurs de Vincennes pattern rifles. In most instances, I can tell you who made them, or at least sold them to Sanford, but nothing more than that they were described as Chasseurs de Vincennes rifles in the correspondence. Similarly, Sanford was in discussion with Viceroy Sa'id of Egypt for 48,000 French pattern rifle(d) muskets, particularly Sa'id's Chasseurs de Vincennes, but there is no discussion of model numbers/dates of manufacture.

Professor Balace ran into similar problems in his book on the Belgian gun trade in the Civil War, in that there is generally very little clarity in the model differences of the arms he documents as being sold. Its largely a discussion of numbers/rifled or smoothbore.

I suspect that the American purchasing agents, most of whom had absolutely no background in the gun trade, lacked the technical background to recognise, understand, or care much about model differences. I've had similar problems with my research on the Austrian arms used by both the Federals and Confederates in the Civil War. The designations we are interested in made no real difference to them. That the weapons were represented to be functional was everything.

Regards,
Don Dixon
 
@Don Dixon

I do not know all the French weapons sold and imported for the civil war, but here I publish all the images related to the 4 Carbine used by the "Chasseur de Vincennes".
You Don Dixon, and you of the forum, which you have so much experience, maybe you recognize the models used, so maybe we can find out what models were defined as "carbines Chasseur DE Vincennes"

first model:
Carbine 1837 Delvigne-Pontcharra
DSC_0371.JPG

DSC_0372.JPG



Second and third model:
Carbine 1846/1846T/1853/1853T (models without "T" have the pillar)

DSC_0887.JPG


fourth model:
Carbine 1859 ( steel barrell)

1859.JPG
 
@Don Dixon

I do not know all the French weapons sold and imported for the civil war, but here I publish all the images related to the 4 Carbine used by the "Chasseur de Vincennes".
You Don Dixon, and you of the forum, which you have so much experience, maybe you recognize the models used, so maybe we can find out what models were defined as "carbines Chasseur DE Vincennes"

Urrikane,

Since most of Sanford's Chasseurs de Vincennes purchases appear to have been current production, and were delivered incrementally, I have tended to assume - assumptions can be dangerous - that they were Model 1859s or perhaps 1853(T)s [probably with the Tige removed]. I know that both models are found, with Civil War provenance, in U.S. collections. But, across all the importers - North and South - descriptions of what was being imported are very generic (i.e., "French" [generally they meant French models produced at Liege], "Belgian," "Austrian," "German," "Tower," etc. Sometimes with comments regarding caliber. Were "rifled" arms rifled when manufactured or rifled when transformed? What techniques were used in transformation? These issues are generally not discussed.)

Once the weapons were received, there is considerable inconsistency in how the officers and men of the Federal and Confederate Armies described their weapons in both official and unofficial documents. In 1863 Lieutenant Colonel Mallet suggested that Confederate ordnance revise the nomenclature it used to describe arms, in that the generic names in use – “Austrian,” “Belgian,” and “English” – covered a number of different weapons models and calibers. Federal soldiers generally described the Muster 1854, Type I or II, System Lorenz weapon as a rifle musket, for example, while Confederate soldiers generally described it as a rifle. But, this was inconsistent in both armies. Both sides were rank amateurs as soldiers. Quotations from original sources reflect this dichotomy, and it should always be kept in mind by the modern reader.

Regards,
Don Dixon
 
Since Texas has been brought up, with Tanner and Co. what about the other two Texas gunmakers Billups & Hassel and Whitscarver, Campbell & Co.? I realize they didn't look much like their Frenchy counterparts but they were probably "inspired" by them. Back-action locks, (more akin to sporting locks) and sometimes French style furniture. Interesting rifles, even if more dangerous to the shooter than the enemy when new lol.
 
Urrikane,

Since most of Sanford's Chasseurs de Vincennes purchases appear to have been current production, and were delivered incrementally, I have tended to assume - assumptions can be dangerous - that they were Model 1859s or perhaps 1853(T)s [probably with the Tige removed]. I know that both models are found, with Civil War provenance, in U.S. collections. But, across all the importers - North and South - descriptions of what was being imported are very generic (i.e., "French" [generally they meant French models produced at Liege], "Belgian," "Austrian," "German," "Tower," etc. Sometimes with comments regarding caliber. Were "rifled" arms rifled when manufactured or rifled when transformed? What techniques were used in transformation? These issues are generally not discussed.)

Once the weapons were received, there is considerable inconsistency in how the officers and men of the Federal and Confederate Armies described their weapons in both official and unofficial documents. In 1863 Lieutenant Colonel Mallet suggested that Confederate ordnance revise the nomenclature it used to describe arms, in that the generic names in use – “Austrian,” “Belgian,” and “English” – covered a number of different weapons models and calibers. Federal soldiers generally described the Muster 1854, Type I or II, System Lorenz weapon as a rifle musket, for example, while Confederate soldiers generally described it as a rifle. But, this was inconsistent in both armies. Both sides were rank amateurs as soldiers. Quotations from original sources reflect this dichotomy, and it should always be kept in mind by the modern reader.

Regards,
Don Dixon

thanks for the clear explanation!
 
French Arms 016A.JPG


Although it's unlikely any of these saw use (in this form at least, still in flint before being transformed or altered to percussion) in our Civil War, I'd like to add them as examples of earlier French or Belgian cavalry weapons, dating from ca. 1798-1815, the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. From the top above, a likely Belgian musketoon (only slightly shorter than the regulation French infantry musket); a French Fusil d'Dragon (dragoon musketoon), used by both light infantry and cavalry who also fought on foot (dragoons); Musketon Mlle. An XIII, dated 1812 and the type used by most French Napoleonic cavalrymen; and at right, the earlier-style Musketon d'Hussard, this one dating from the French Revolution and because of its almost toy-like scale and light weight intended for use by cavalry scouts.

During the wars of the French Revolution, Belgium was "freed" from Spanish control and assimilated into France; only on Napoleon's first downfall in 1814 was it proclaimed independent with its own hereditary monarchy, the House of Orange. Therefore, in this period anything "Belgian" is actually French, although there were no official armories located there, despite the huge concentration of gunmakers in Liege. The closest to this idea was the Imperial Lockplate Factory in Liege that made the lock (only) for the top musketoon, which was likely stocked following Belgium's independence, though it bears the inscription Mfture Imple. (Made in the Empire.) Since it's shorter than an infantry musket it could've armed either heavy cavalry, or more likely light infantry.

French Cavalry Arms
French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 006.jpg


The top fusil is also shorter than an infantry musket, with triggerguard, lower band, and nosecap (and usually buttplate too) all in laiton (brass). It's dated 1807 on the barrel and marked Mfture Imple du Charleville on the lockplate. Charleville was only one of several French armories, others being at Mauberge, St. Etienne, and Tulle (for Navy arms), although all these are often wrongly called Charlevilles by American collectors. The musketoons will be shown in more detail below.

French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 020.jpg

These cavalry musketoons are very similar and both designs originated earlier in the Eighteenth Century, though they were modified into the forms here by the time of the Revolution. Both should have sidebars and rings to attach them to carbine hooks and slings; for some reason the one at top has had its removed, possibly because these were sometimes used to arm light infantrymen, especially at the end of the Napoleonic Wars when arms were in short supply. (Note that it was also manufactured with sling swivels for a conventional leather sling.)

French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 015.jpg




Cavalrie Musketon
French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 009.jpg


This is properly a Mlle. An. XIII Musketon or M.1804 and marked on the lockplate Mfture Imple du Charleville. These lightweight weapons aren't really carbines in the true sense of the word because they share the same .69 bore with all French arms of the period, whether muskets, fusils, musketons, or pistols! These armed all kinds of French horsemen, chasseurs, lanciers, gendarmes, curiassiers, carabiniers, etc. and even infantrie legere or light infantry and sapeurs or engineer troops.

French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 007.jpg


Inspectors marks were applied to the buttstock in a circle around a hard cherrywood plug set into the walnut stocks bearing the initials EF for Empire Francaise or French Empire. Other marks indicated the date of acceptance, in this case 1813. (The barrel is dated 1812.) A French arms collector friend of mine has told me the later name Jouasse carved into the stock is a common French surname.

Musketon d'Hussard
French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 018.jpg


The other is engraved on the lock simply Gosuin a'Liege, a product of the Gosuin familly, gunmakers in Liege, Belguim, then a part of France. Although undated, this arm retains faint indentations where the Revolutionary inspectors stamps were once visible on the butt; this contract between the Revolutionary government in Paris and Gosuin dates to ca. 1798 near the end of the Revolutionary period.

French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 019.jpg


Originally this was termed the Mlle. 1777 and was intended to arm what was the showiest branch of the French cavalry the hussars, whose uniforms and tack were patterned after those used by Hungarian light cavalry, whose primary function were as scouts and pickets. This weapon may appear to be cut down but in fact was made this way, evident from the unusual way the nosecap is secured beneath the lower band! The ramrod is also offset in its channel, so as to avoid the screws from the triggerguard.

French Napoleonic Cavalry Arms 012.jpg
 
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View attachment 212441

Although it's unlikely any of these saw use (in this form at least, still in flint before being transformed or altered to percussion) in our Civil War, I'd like to add them as examples of earlier French or Belgian cavalry weapons, dating from ca. 1798-1815, the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. From the top above, a likely Belgian musketoon (only slightly shorter than the regulation French infantry musket); a French Fusil d'Dragon (dragoon musketoon), used by both light infantry and cavalry who also fought on foot (dragoons); Musketon Mlle. An XIII, dated 1812 and the type used by most French Napoleonic cavalrymen; and at right, the earlier-style Musketon d'Hussard, this one dating from the French Revolution and because of its almost toy-like scale and light weight intended for use by cavalry scouts.

During the wars of the French Revolution, Belgium was "freed" from Spanish control and assimilated into France; only on Napoleon's first downfall in 1814 was it proclaimed independent with its own hereditary monarchy, the House of Orange. Therefore, in this period anything "Belgian" is actually French, although there were no official armories located there, despite the huge concentration of gunmakers in Liege. The closest to this idea was the Imperial Lockplate Factory in Liege that made the lock (only) for the top musketoon, which was likely stocked following Belgium's independence, though it bears the inscription Mfture Imple. (Made in the Empire.) Since it's shorter than an infantry musket it could've armed either heavy cavalry, or more likely light infantry.

French Cavalry Arms
View attachment 212444

The top fusil is also shorter than an infantry musket, with triggerguard, lower band, and nosecap (and usually buttplate too) all in laiton (brass). It's dated 1807 on the barrel and marked Mfture Imple du Charleville on the lockplate. Charleville was only one of several French armories, others being at Mauberge, St. Etienne, and Tulle (for Navy arms), although all these are often wrongly called Charlevilles by American collectors. The musketoons will be shown in more detail below.

View attachment 212452
These cavalry musketoons are very similar and both designs originated earlier in the Eighteenth Century, though they were modified into the forms here by the time of the Revolution. Both should have sidebars and rings to attach them to carbine hooks and slings; for some reason the one at top has had its removed, possibly because these were sometimes used to arm light infantrymen, especially at the end of the Napoleonic Wars when arms were in short supply. (Note that it was also manufactured with sling swivels for a conventional leather sling.)

View attachment 212448



Cavalrie Musketon
View attachment 212446

This is properly a Mlle. An. XIII Musketon or M.1804 and marked on the lockplate Mfture Imple du Charleville. These lightweight weapons aren't really carbines in the true sense of the word because they share the same .69 bore with all French arms of the period, whether muskets, fusils, musketons, or pistols! These armed all kinds of French horsemen, chasseurs, lanciers, gendarmes, curiassiers, carabiniers, etc. and even infantrie legere or light infantry and sapeurs or engineer troops.

View attachment 212445

Inspectors marks were applied to the buttstock in a circle around a hard cherrywood plug set into the walnut stocks bearing the initials EF for Empire Francaise or French Empire. Other marks indicated the date of acceptance, in this case 1813. (The barrel is dated 1812.) A French arms collector friend of mine has told me the later name Jouasse carved into the stock is a common French surname.

Musketon d'Hussard
View attachment 212450

The other is engraved on the lock simply Gosuin a'Liege, a product of the Gosuin familly, gunmakers in Liege, Belguim, then a part of France. Although undated, this arm retains faint indentations where the Revolutionary inspectors stamps were once visible on the butt; this contract between the Revolutionary government in Paris and Gosuin dates to ca. 1798 near the end of the Revolutionary period.

View attachment 212451

Originally this was termed the Mlle. 1777 and was intended to arm what was the showiest branch of the French cavalry the hussars, whose uniforms and tack were patterned after those used by Hungarian light cavalry, whose primary function were as scouts and pickets. This weapon may appear to be cut down but in fact was made this way, evident from the unusual way the nosecap is secured beneath the lower band! The ramrod is also offset in its channel, so as to avoid the screws from the triggerguard.

View attachment 212447

Since French flintlocks have been brought up, how about the Mle. 1763-Mle. 1768 family of guns. I don't know about them in their flint form, but some percussion conversions, including Confederate jobs have been noted.
 
When Napoleon made himself crown king of Italy on May 26, 1805, all the Italian weapons factories were used to produce French rifles, they are rare because there are only a few pieces. The most important was the "manifacture real de Turin" the city that will become the capital of the kingdom of Sardinia!
I am lucky, because in my collection of European rifle, i have two guns of this period, one for infantry and one for dragons


this is a painting where you see a dragon with his carbine:
dragoonfusil (1).jpg


and this picture ( on the left) see a light infantry man with the dragoon musket
voltiguers.jpg


here below the AN IX flintolock dragoon rifle made by " Manifacture royale de Turin"
DSC_0873.JPG

DSC_0875.JPG

DSC_0884.JPG


and this AN IX flintlock infantry rifle made by " Manifacture royale de Turin" the first model lenght 1515mm
DSC_0166.JPG


DSC_0180.JPG
DSC_0179.JPG
 
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View attachment 212441

Although it's unlikely any of these saw use (in this form at least, still in flint before being transformed or altered to percussion) in our Civil War, I'd like to add them as examples of earlier French or Belgian cavalry weapons, dating from ca. 1798-1815, the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. From the top above, a likely Belgian musketoon (only slightly shorter than the regulation French infantry musket); a French Fusil d'Dragon (dragoon musketoon), used by both light infantry and cavalry who also fought on foot (dragoons); Musketon Mlle. An XIII, dated 1812 and the type used by most French Napoleonic cavalrymen; and at right, the earlier-style Musketon d'Hussard, this one dating from the French Revolution and because of its almost toy-like scale and light weight intended for use by cavalry scouts.

During the wars of the French Revolution, Belgium was "freed" from Spanish control and assimilated into France; only on Napoleon's first downfall in 1814 was it proclaimed independent with its own hereditary monarchy, the House of Orange. Therefore, in this period anything "Belgian" is actually French, although there were no official armories located there, despite the huge concentration of gunmakers in Liege. The closest to this idea was the Imperial Lockplate Factory in Liege that made the lock (only) for the top musketoon, which was likely stocked following Belgium's independence, though it bears the inscription Mfture Imple. (Made in the Empire.) Since it's shorter than an infantry musket it could've armed either heavy cavalry, or more likely light infantry.

French Cavalry Arms
View attachment 212444

The top fusil is also shorter than an infantry musket, with triggerguard, lower band, and nosecap (and usually buttplate too) all in laiton (brass). It's dated 1807 on the barrel and marked Mfture Imple du Charleville on the lockplate. Charleville was only one of several French armories, others being at Mauberge, St. Etienne, and Tulle (for Navy arms), although all these are often wrongly called Charlevilles by American collectors. The musketoons will be shown in more detail below.

View attachment 212452
These cavalry musketoons are very similar and both designs originated earlier in the Eighteenth Century, though they were modified into the forms here by the time of the Revolution. Both should have sidebars and rings to attach them to carbine hooks and slings; for some reason the one at top has had its removed, possibly because these were sometimes used to arm light infantrymen, especially at the end of the Napoleonic Wars when arms were in short supply. (Note that it was also manufactured with sling swivels for a conventional leather sling.)

View attachment 212448



Cavalrie Musketon
View attachment 212446

This is properly a Mlle. An. XIII Musketon or M.1804 and marked on the lockplate Mfture Imple du Charleville. These lightweight weapons aren't really carbines in the true sense of the word because they share the same .69 bore with all French arms of the period, whether muskets, fusils, musketons, or pistols! These armed all kinds of French horsemen, chasseurs, lanciers, gendarmes, curiassiers, carabiniers, etc. and even infantrie legere or light infantry and sapeurs or engineer troops.

View attachment 212445

Inspectors marks were applied to the buttstock in a circle around a hard cherrywood plug set into the walnut stocks bearing the initials EF for Empire Francaise or French Empire. Other marks indicated the date of acceptance, in this case 1813. (The barrel is dated 1812.) A French arms collector friend of mine has told me the later name Jouasse carved into the stock is a common French surname.

Musketon d'Hussard
View attachment 212450

The other is engraved on the lock simply Gosuin a'Liege, a product of the Gosuin familly, gunmakers in Liege, Belguim, then a part of France. Although undated, this arm retains faint indentations where the Revolutionary inspectors stamps were once visible on the butt; this contract between the Revolutionary government in Paris and Gosuin dates to ca. 1798 near the end of the Revolutionary period.

View attachment 212451

Originally this was termed the Mlle. 1777 and was intended to arm what was the showiest branch of the French cavalry the hussars, whose uniforms and tack were patterned after those used by Hungarian light cavalry, whose primary function were as scouts and pickets. This weapon may appear to be cut down but in fact was made this way, evident from the unusual way the nosecap is secured beneath the lower band! The ramrod is also offset in its channel, so as to avoid the screws from the triggerguard.

View attachment 212447

The Musketon d'hussard it's a rare rifle, you're lucky to have one!
The regulation for the construction of this musket is of 7 July 1786, the production of this weapon was interrupted in 1803, it returned to production in 1810 but only to Maubeuge, with some improvements adopted for the model AN IX.
 
The Musketon d'hussard it's a rare rifle, you're lucky to have one!
The regulation for the construction of this musket is of 7 July 1786, the production of this weapon was interrupted in 1803, it returned to production in 1810 but only to Maubeuge, with some improvements adopted for the model AN IX.
I think I'm lucky too, although it's not in the best condition - a piece of wood has been replaced between the tang screw and the lockplate and the stock has been eaten by "worms" (actually beetle larvae) overall and filled in with wax sometime long before I got it. It was also missing the ring on the sidebar but a friend of mine who was fantastic at restoration replaced it. It's also been overcleaned and polished, but I was still happy to get it!
 
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