Comblain Model 1882
Syndicat des Fabricants d'Armes de Liège · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1882
Also known as: Comblain M1882, Belgian Model 1882 Comblain, Garde Civique Comblain
Overview
The Comblain Model 1882 is a Belgian single-shot falling-block breech-loading rifle chambered in the 11mm Comblain black-powder cartridge. It is the all-steel infantry pattern of Hubert-Joseph Comblain's dropping-block action, in which a single stroke of the combination trigger-guard lever drops the vertically-sliding breechblock to extract, load and cock. Replacing the phosphor-bronze receiver of the earlier Model 1870 with a robust extended steel receiver, the M1882 also added an integral buttstock tenon similar to the British Martini-Henry. Roughly 30,000 were built by the Syndicat of Liège gunmakers and issued to the Belgian Garde Civique, with a Model 1882/84 variant supplied to Morocco.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3950 g (139.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1265 mm (49.80") |
| Barrel Length | 880 mm (34.65") |
| Action Type | Falling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 335 m/s (1099 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1400 J (1033 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 300 m (328 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1300 m (1422 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 10 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 11mm Comblain · primary — also known as 11.4x50R Comblain, 11x50mmR, 11mm Belgian Comblain, 11mm Belgian Infantry
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Falling Block Action, Single Shot, Lever Actuated Breechblock, All Steel Receiver, Ramp And Leaf Rear Sight, Integral Buttstock Tenon
Variants
- Comblain Model 1882/84 - Moroccan Contract
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Belgian Garde Civique · adopted 1882 · as Model 1882
- Morocco · as Model 1882/84
Production
Estimated total produced: 30,000 · Production years: 1882-1890s
An initial run of roughly 10,000 followed by a further 20,000 rifles for the Belgian Garde Civique; additional Model 1882/84 rifles supplied to Morocco
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Hubert-Joseph Comblain
Discontinued: 1900
Notes
Produced by a consortium (Syndicat) of Liège arms makers rather than a single factory. Ramp-and-leaf rear sight graduated from 200 m to 1,300 m. The all-steel M1882 has no bronze parts, unlike the M1870.
Background
By the 1880s the single-shot Comblain was already obsolescent beside the repeating bolt-action rifles entering European service, so the steel M1882 became chiefly a militia arm for the Belgian Garde Civique rather than a frontline infantry weapon.