Auguste Francotte&Comp. () was a privately owned firearms manufacturer based in Liège,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. It was founded between 1805. and 1810, and was still in operation after 1948.

History

The company was founded in 1805 by August Francotte in Liège, based at Rue de Mont-Saint-Martin 61. The company was especially active from 1860 to 1914 before manufacturing ceased due to the German invasion of Belgium. The company resumed production after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Arms for Serbian military

In 1857, the

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation wa ...

ordered rifles ( Francotte rifle model 1849/56) and pistols of percussion cap system for its armed forces. Also, in 1875,

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

procured 11 mm Lefaucheux-Francotte M. 1871 revolvers of

double action Double action (or double-action) refers to one of two systems in firearms where the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. *Double-action only (DAO) firearms trigger: The trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. There is no single-action f ...

, Никола Гажевић, Војна енциклопедија 8, Војноиздавачки завод, Београд (1974), стр. 146-147 similar to a Danish revolver Lefaucheux-Francotte M1865.

Production

Throughout the period from the middle of the nineteenth century to 1914, Belgian gunmakers like Auguste Francotte made large quantities of rifles and revolvers of the most diverse construction, calibre and size; most, however, were imitations (produced under licence) of other well-known systems ( Martini-Henry, Mauser, Smith&Wesson, Nagant). Francotte rifle M1857

During the first decades they manufactured various arms for various nations around

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, among others 1,500 M1849

kammerlader The ''Kammerlader'', or "chamber loader", was the first Norwegian breech-loading rifle, and among the first breech loaders adopted for use by an armed force anywhere in the world. A single-shot black-powder rifle, the ''kammerlader'' was operate ...

s for

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

.Later they concentrated on high-quality, expensive civilian arms.

Rifles

* Francotte-Martini rifle,

single shot Single-shot firearms are firearms that hold only a single round of ammunition, and must be reloaded manually after every shot. The history of firearms began with single-shot designs, then multi-barreled designs appeared, and eventually many cent ...

breachloader with

falling block action A falling-block action (also known as a sliding-block or dropping-block action) is a single-shot firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breech of the weapon and is actuated by a lever. Desc ...

. Made after 1865, it was an unlicenced derivative the of the Peabody rifle. Modern versions are of the hamerless type, and have a removable breechblock, which can be easily removed for cleaning. It is a very well made and expensive weapon.

Revolvers

Model 1865, Chamelot- Delavigne

pinfire A pinfire cartridge is an obsolete type of metallic firearm cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge. Invented by Frenchman Casimir Lefaucheux in ...

revolver with solid frame and fixed cylinder, with no mechanical extractor. Made for Danish navy, caliber 11 mm. * Model 1871, Lefaucheux-Francotte

revolver with solid frame and fixed cylinder, with no mechanical extractor. Made for Danish army, caliber 11 mm. * Revolver m/1871, Lefaucheux-Francotte

revolver with solid frame and fixed cylinder, with no mechanical extractor. Made for Swedish army, caliber 11 mm. * Model 1882 (trooper's model), similar as above, made for Danish army, caliber 10.9 mm. * Model 1886 (trooper's model), similar as above, made for Danish army, caliber 9.5 mm.

Recourse

{{Reflist Firearm manufacturers of Belgium Companies based in Liège Province