Tabatiere

[dromia]

Due to popular demand (well only Ovenpaa really) here are some photographs of my Tabatiere rifle. Tabatiere mens snuff box as the Snider type breech reminded the French of a snuff box of the period. These breech loading cartridge conversions, the Model 1867, were adopted in 1867 with over 300,000 equiping second line troops by 1870. The 1866 Chassepot rifle equiping front line units. This particular rifle is a Model 1857 rifle musket conversion. The rifle fired a large calibre 17.8mm black powder round, in one of the last photographs below a .577 snider round is beside the muzzle for a sense of scale.

[ovenpaa]

Woah! That is a very good looking rifle, what does it shoot like?

[Christel]

Yup, I am impressed as well. The stories it could tell...

[jjvc]

Great foties Coach Droomie, but you should have took the dead spider out of the loading chamber before this shot :mrgreen:

[dromia]

If you'd looked closely Joe you would have seen that that is a genuine Araignée Fusil, a rather rare and specific species of arachnid that only lived in black powder weapons of the period.

It is noticing and interpreting these little clues that help divine a rifles true authenticity.

[jjvc]

"Araignée Fusil" I am always amazed by your fertile imagination Mr S. :lol:

That rifle needs a trip to the range to blow the cobwebs away.

Joe

[ovenpaa]

Do you have a photograph of a loaded cartridge?

[dromia]

[ovenpaa]

Is it a brass base with a rolled case side? I have seen cartridges like this before. Can you re use the brass after firing?

[dromia]

I'm using brass 12 bore cases, the original puckle I made were with paper cases