Tabatière rifle
The Tabatière rifle was a breech-loading rifle of the French Army. The Tabatière system was developed from 1864 as a way to convert numerous muzzle-loading weapons (usually Minié rifles) into breech-loading ones, in a process similar to that of the Snider-Enfield in Great Britain, Wänzl rifle in Austria, and the Springfield Model 1866 in the United States. The name "Tabatière" comes from the fact that the breech-loading mechanism looked like a snuff box.
Also recorded as Tabatiere rifle
Tabatière rifle
PHGCOM · Own work, photographed at Musee de l'Armee · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Field
- single-shot rifle.
- Region
- France.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
The Tabatière rifle was a breech-loading rifle of the French Army. The Tabatière system was developed from 1864 as a way to convert numerous muzzle-loading weapons (usually Minié rifles) into breech-loading ones, in a process similar to that of the Snider-Enfield in Great Britain, Wänzl rifle in Austria, and the Springfield Model 1866 in the United States. The name "Tabatière" comes from the fact that the breech-loading mechanism looked like a snuff box.
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Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2658488 · wikipedia · Tabatière rifle
In this article
Models
Models
Most of the conversion work had been accomplished by the time of the Franco-Prussian War. This weapon system was recognized as ballistically inferior to the Chassepot rifle, therefore it was used by second line troops and in defensive roles. These are commonly encountered today as "Zulu Guns", after rifles were converted into shotguns and sold cheaply in the late 1800s.
Infantry Fusil d’Infanterie Mle1867 Fusil d’Infanterie Mle1822T.bis/1867 Dragoon Fusil de dragon Mle1867 Carbine Mle1867 Carabine de Chasseurs Musketoon Mousqueton de Gendarmerie Mle1867
Cartridge
Cartridge
The 18x35mmR was constructed similarly to a shotgun shell, in that it had a copper base with a paper tube for the body. There were two loadings, though interchangeable, meant for the rifle and carbine respectively. The rifle cartridge used a blue paper wrap and had a powder load of 5 grams with a 48 gram projectile. The carbine load used a brown paper wrap and had powder load of 4.5 grams with a 36 gram minie ball projectile.
Users
Users
Argentina: Acquired small amounts during the Paraguayan war. A number were imported from Germany and France in 1880 along with 500,000 cartridges. Those rifles were shipped without bayonets, and were adapted to use old muzzleloader bayonets. Qajar Iran: 30,000 captured Tabatière rifles were purchased from Germany in 1873. Siam: Examples have been found with the Thai acceptance markings.
Conflicts
Conflicts
Paraguayan War (limited use) Argentine Civil Wars Franco-Prussian War
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Tabatière rifle”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2658488: Tabatière rifle
Unverified · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Stephen Shann French Army 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War (2), p. 38
- 2.Namslauer Stadtblatt. Zeitschrift für Tagesgeschichte. bibliotekacyfrowa.pl.
- 3.Doyon, Keith. Tabatiere. Military Rifles.
- 4.Esposito, Gabriele, The Paraguayan War 1864–70: Osprey Publishing (2019)
- 5.Unidades y armas durante el sitio de Buenos Aires de 1880.
- 6.Napier, George Campbell. Collection of Journals and Reports Received from Capt. G. C. Napier, on Special Duty in Persia, 1874. G. E. Eyre and W. Spottiswoode. 1876.
- 7.J. Kellett. The Pall Mall Review Vol.24. 1880.
- 8.Doyon, Keith. M1867 Siamese Tabatiere.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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