Charleville Model 1766
Manufacture royale d'armes de Charleville · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1766
Also known as: Fusil Modèle 1766, Charleville Modèle 1766, 1763/1766 light pattern Charleville
Overview
The Charleville Model 1766 is a .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore muzzle-loading musket, a lightened refinement of the heavier Modèle 1763 and the standard infantry arm of the French Army in the years before the definitive Modèle 1777. The 1766 pattern thinned the barrel wall, shortened the lock, slimmed the walnut stock and replaced the earlier trumpet-shaped ramrod with a lighter button-head rod retained by a spring under the breech. Shipped in large quantities to the American Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, it served as one of the principal patterns the first U.S. military muskets were copied from.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3790 g (133.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1524 mm (60.00") |
| Barrel Length | 1137 mm (44.76") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Muzzle Velocity | 427 m/s (1401 fps) |
| Effective Range | 46 m (50 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 183 m (200 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | White Metal |
Calibers
- .69 Caliber Musket Ball · primary — also known as 0.69 in, 17.5 mm ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Muzzle Loaded, Three Barrel Bands, Socket Bayonet Lug, Button Head Ramrod, Lightened Pattern
Base model
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1766 · as Fusil d'infanterie Modèle 1766
- French Navy and Marines · adopted 1766
- Continental Army / United States · adopted 1777
Conflicts
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Production
Production years: 1766-1777
Produced at the French royal arsenals until superseded by the Modèle 1777; many examples were later converted to percussion.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Discontinued: 1777
Notes
Often grouped with the Modèle 1763 as the '1763/1766 light pattern'. Weight figure follows George Moller's research (~8.36 lb); modern reproductions are typically heavier at around 10 lb. Barrel and weight vary slightly across the Charleville, Saint-Étienne and Maubeuge arsenals.
Background
Muskets of the 1766 light pattern were among the French arms that France shipped to Washington's Continental Army, and they directly informed the design of the United States Springfield Model 1795.