Designed c.~1777 as part of Gribeauval’s standardized small arms system, produced c.1786-1790 at the national arsenals in Charleville, Maubeuge and St-Etienne then c.1810~1815 in Maubeuge. .69 caliber ball, flintlock mechanism, smoothbore. The Mle1786 was a light cavalry carbine designed for use by hussards and chasseurs à cheval with many interchangeable part from the Mle1777 standard infantry musket. Much like its 1767 predecessor, its ramrod is stored partway inside the buttstock, allowing for a shorter forend. Despite being introduced in 1786, its use during the First Republic and Empire made it somewhat unpopular during the Bourbon Restoration. This led to them being discarded rather than soldiering on like the old Charleville Mle1777, which in comparison went so far as to be converted to a percussion mechanism in the 1840′s.
Designed c.~1777 as part of Gribeauval’s standardized small arms system, produced c.1786-1790 at the national arsenals in Charleville, Maubeuge and St-Etienne then c.1810~1815 in Maubeuge. .69 caliber ball, flintlock mechanism, smoothbore. The Mle1786 was a light cavalry carbine designed for use by hussards and chasseurs à cheval with many interchangeable part from the Mle1777 standard infantry musket. Much like its 1767 predecessor, its ramrod is stored partway inside the buttstock, allowing for a shorter forend. Despite being introduced in 1786, its use during the First Republic and Empire made it somewhat unpopular during the Bourbon Restoration. This led to them being discarded rather than soldiering on like the old Charleville Mle1777, which in comparison went so far as to be converted to a percussion mechanism in the 1840′s.
