The model 1777 rifle, which is the culmination of all the modifications made to the rifle since 1717, is the work of the gunner Gribeauval. Developed at the end of the Ancien Régime, this rifle was used during the long period of the wars of the Revolution and the First Empire. It is generally considered the pinnacle of the flintlock system in France.
The object itself...
The 1777 Infantry Rifle is a single-shot, muzzle-loading, smooth-bore (no internal rifling) flintlock rifle. It measures 1.52 m (1.14 m for the barrel) and weighs 4.6 kg. Extended by its socket bayonet, it reaches the impressive length of 1.92 m, theoretically sufficient to allow the infantryman to defend himself against a cavalry charge after having fired. Like all French regulation rifles of the 18th century, its caliber is 17.5 mm. Its bassinet is made of copper, a metal less sensitive to corrosion than iron; Tilted forward, this bassinet allows the infantryman to prime more quickly, without putting the gun horizontally. The rifle of 1777 underwent slight modifications in 1801, among other things the removal of the mouthpiece screw:we then speak of rifle year IX or "1777 corrected year IX".
The 1777 rifle is characterized by its great resistance, especially at the level of the barrel (tests have shown that this model could fire 25,000 shots without being put out of service). Designed for practicing shooting in three ranges, its accuracy is relatively good for a smoothbore weapon (the shot is accurate up to 150 m, effective up to 200 or 250 m and very inaccurate beyond these distances). The lock of this rifle is nevertheless prone to misfires (1 shot out of fifteen on average).
If the design of the 1777 rifle remains very classic, its manufacture is subject to rigorous controls which make it the first weapon produced in a standardized way.
This rifle was developed shortly before the entry into France's war alongside the American insurgents, under the control of Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (1715-1789), inspector general of artillery and reformer of this weapon. In the 1760s, Gribeauval standardized the royal artillery by inventing and then using the "mobile star", a device used to measure the exact interior dimensions of a cannon. Wishing to extend this standardization to infantry weapons, the inspector then lieutenant general, assisted by controller Honoré Blanc (1736-1801), developed a new model of rifle in 1777. The two men agreed on the need to facilitate repairs, which presupposes a standardized weapon, with interchangeable parts, that is to say identical from one rifle to another (of the same model of course).
The regulation of February 26, 1777 thus specifies the dimensions of all the parts of the rifle. Specially designed checking instruments also allow factory inspectors to ensure the uniformity of the parts produced.
These verification instruments usefully supplement the regulation, which is always subject, like any text, to different interpretations. Thanks to the quality of its execution, unequaled at the time, the rifle of 1777 is an overall reliable weapon, of good technicality, as evidenced by its robustness.
Despite the progress introduced by Gribeauval and Honoré Blanc, the production of the 1777 rifle cannot be described as industrial, in the mechanical sense, and grouped together:until the 1850s, in fact, the manufacture of weapons for military use remained essentially manual and factories are
more like a set of scattered workshops than a single place of production. The first truly industrial rifle was the Chassepot model of 1866. As for the total interchangeability of parts, it was only really achieved with the Lebel model of 1886.
The rifle of 1777 is, moreover, at the origin of a "weapons system", which means that from the model intended for the infantry, different versions are declined for the use of officers, cadets-gentilshommes, dragoons, artillerymen, horsemen and marines. This system was complete in 1786.
The 1777 rifle was characterized by its exceptional longevity.
Gradually equipping the troops at the end of the Ancien Régime, it remained in service without major modifications until the July Monarchy. It underwent more significant transformations in the 1840s and 1850s:conversion of the flintlock into a percussion system, introduction of rifling inside the barrel (allowing greater precision and increased range). After these transformations, some examples were still in use in the French army until the Franco-Prussian conflict of 1870-1871