France’s Tabatiére Breechloader

By Garry James

With the exception of the American Civil War, it would be difficult to find a conflict in which so many different kinds of arms were used than the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. Though of short duration, this now largely forgotten affray was of tremendous global importance in that it unified Germany and finally republicanized France, ending France’s reliance on kings and emperors for good. It even gave a chilling foretaste of World War II, with Germans occupying portions of France for far longer than they were welcome.

The two primary rifles of the combatants were Germany’s famed Zundnadelgewehr Needle Rifle and France’s superior Chassepot, also a breechloader that fired a self-contained, completely consuming cartridge.

France’s Tabatiére was the largest-caliber breechloader ever issued on any scale.

Many of Prussia’s allies, however, were still using muzzleloaders, and France, realizing that its new rifle (it had been adopted in 1866, as opposed to the 1841 introduction of Prussia’s principal infantry arm) was not available in large enough numbers to wholly supply its troops, began looking around for supplementary rifles.

The high, straight hammer of the Tabatiére lent itself well to a side-swinging breechloader, similar in function to Great Britain’s …Read the Rest

Source:: Guns and Ammo