qsy-complains-a-lot:Fusil-TromblonLiterally ‘Blunderbuss rifle’, modification of the Gras Mle1874 11
qsy-complains-a-lot:Fusil-TromblonLiterally ‘Blunderbuss rifle’, modification of the Gras Mle1874 11mm rifle with a large Viven-Bessière type grenade discharger cup c.1914~15.Fires the Mle1847/1914 grenade, a 1,2kg cast iron spherical projectile with internal fragmentation grooves and a 5~6sc time fuse, with a payload of 110g of cheddite. It is propelled by a blank 11mm Gras cartridge, giving it a range of 33m at a 5° angle up to 190m at a 45° angle.An interesting early modification of the old Gras rifle, similar in usage to the Guidetti launcher -also a Gras conversion- when on its base, but also usable as a VB grenade launcher when fired from the shoulder, like the hand mortars of the 18th century.Although initially conceived as a way to recycle old rifles and old grenades into a new small piece of trench artillery, grenade dicharger cups became extremely popular in the French army as a way to provide mobile infantry support across no man’s land. There is no indication that this specific model survived long enough to reach that point of the war, but it is an interesting progenitor to the concept.Range chart of the Fusil-Tromblon, listing the firing angle, corresponding setting on its two different base mount, and resulting ranges. Note that even in its manual the weapon is never given a longer designation than ‘blunderbuss rifle’. -- source link