Auguste FRANCOTTE
This is a
muzzle-loading flintlock rifle that was later converted into a breech-loading
percussion rifle, fitted with a bayonet. The characteristics of the weapon under
examination are identical to those of a rifle previously appraised on the
LittleGun website; see the link:
http://www.littlegun.info/arme%20suisse/ancien%20artisan/a%20zeughaus%20zurich%20gb.htm
The following
comments are taken from this link:
Zeughaus Zurich: "Swiss breech-loading rifle, Milbank-Amsler system. Originally,
it was a French M.1777 flintlock infantry musket, purchased in large quantities
by the Swiss cantonal militia. Later it was converted into the smoothbore
percussion musket M.1777/1842, and then it was converted into the rifled musket
M.1777/1842 T.59. The rifling was shaped into the barrel and the new, modern
rear sights were added. Finally, the rifle was converted into the breech-loading
M.1777/1842 T.59-67 in the late 1860s. The swivel-block conversion mechanism was
approved by the Swiss Army in December 1863. The system was originally patented
in the United States by Isaac Milbank, and later modified by Rudolf Amsler.
Twenty weapons manufacturers participated in the Swiss Army's conversion
program... Swiss cantonal militia ownership inscriptions are stamped on the
barrel, in front of the rear sight, "ZZ." (In the shield) and the number "ZZ
6120" (Zeughaus Zurich).
Several metal
parts are marked with the initials AF surmounted by a crown. This marking is
characteristic of the Liège gunsmith Auguste Francotte. The company was founded
in 1810, primarily active between 1860 and 1914, located at 61 Rue Mont
Saint-Martin, in Liège, and is very well documented on the LittleGun website.
Markings:
AF under crown,
on most metal parts, for Auguste Francotte.
Z.Z.2195, for
Zeughaus Zurich, with serial number, on the barrel.
S-T-B, left-side
breech.
This is a
French flintlock infantry rifle, Model 1777, that was converted into a
percussion rifle using the Milbank-Amsler system for the Zurich militia. The AF
markings under the crown indicate that the conversion took place in Liège in the
workshops of Auguste Francotte, probably in the second half of the 1860s.
Chris,
HPH
Anecdote:
The legendary
French rifle, the Charleville 1777, modified An IX, served as the standard
firearm in French regiments during the Napoleonic Wars. The Model 1777 rifle
proved to be unusually robust, even if its reliability was often questionable.
It suffered from numerous priming problems, and its barrel, which could not
withstand the poor-quality powder used by the French army at the time, regularly
became clogged, forcing most soldiers to urinate in it to clean it out and be
able to use it again.
Source :
https://www.napoleon-souvenirs.com/fr/fusils/253-fusil-francais-charleville-modele-1777-an-ix.html
