The Eidgenössischer Stutzer 1851 ( en, Federal Carbine 1851), also called Feldstutzer 1851, was the first
service rifle
A service rifle (or standard-issue rifle) is a rifle a military issues to regular infantry. In modern militaries, this is typically a versatile and rugged battle rifle, assault rifle, or carbine suitable for use in nearly all environments. Most ...
used by the
Swiss armed forces
The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...
to be procured by the
federal government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
, which was responsible for the armament of the
Cantonal
The 26 cantons of Switzerland (german: Kanton; french: canton ; it, cantone; Sursilvan and Surmiran: ; Vallader and Puter: ; Sutsilvan: ; Rumantsch Grischun: ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Con ...
armed forces under the
1848 federal constitution. It was also the first military weapon in Europe to use the smaller 10.5 mm caliber (later reduced to 10.4 mm) instead of the prior ''de facto'' standard of 18 mm.
The ''Stutzer'' was refitted with a
Milbank Amsler breechloading
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle).
Modern firearms are generally breec ...
system (''à tabatière'') in 1867. It was replaced by the
Repetiergewehr Vetterli, Modell 1869/70 in 1869.
References
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External links
Private website with additional information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eidgenossischer Stutzer 1851
Rifles of Switzerland
Early rifles
Muzzleloaders
Hinged breechblock rifles