A Kropatschek is any variant of a rifle designed by
Alfred von Kropatschek
Alfred Ritter von Kropatschek (Bielitz, January 30, 1838 – Lovran, May 2, 1911) was a general in the Austrian Army and a weapons designer of the late 19th century, who was responsible for several rifle and revolver designs in affiliation with ...
. Kropatschek's rifles used a
tubular magazine
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral within the gun (internal/fixed magazine) or externally attached (detachable magazine). The magazine functions by holding several cartridges with ...
(constructed of
nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...
-plated steel) of his design, of the same type used in the Japanese
Murata Type 22 and the German
Mauser Gewehr 1871/84. While designed for
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
, the Kropatschek action proved to be strong enough to handle
smokeless powder
Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to a ...
.
The Kropatschek was the basis for the French
Lebel M1886.
Variants
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
:
* ''Gendarmerie Repetier-Karabiner M1881'': 11 mm Gendarmerie Carbine (also known as M1874/81);
*''Kropatschek Torpedo Boats Gewehr M1893'': 8 mm Navy Rifle for Torpedo boat crews.
France:
* ''Fusil de Marine Mle 1878'': 11 mm Navy Rifle;
* ''Fusil d'Infanterie Mle 1884'': 11 mm Infantry Rifle;
* ''Fusil d'Infanterie Mle 1885'': 11 mm Infantry Rifle.
Portugal:
* ''Espingarda de Infantaria 8 mm m/1886'': 8 mm Infantry Rifle;
* ''Carabina de Caçadores 8 mm m/1886'': 8 mm Light Infantry Carbine;
* ''Carabina de Cavalaria 8 mm m/1886'': 8 mm Cavalry Carbine;
* ''Carabina da Guarda Fiscal 8 mm m/1886/88'': 8 mm Treasury Guard Carbine;
* ''Espingarda de Infantaria 8 mm m/1886/89'': 8 mm Colonial Infantry Rifle;
* ''Carabina de Artilharia 8 mm m/1886/91'': 8 mm Artillery Carbine.
See also
*
Antique firearms
An antique firearm is a term to describe a firearm that was designed and manufactured prior to the beginning of the 20th century. Although the exact definition of what constitutes an "antique firearm" varies between countries, the advent of smo ...
References
External links
French 1878 Marine KropatschekForgotten Weapons
{{WWIAus-HunInfWeaponsEquipment
World War I Austro-Hungarian infantry weapons
Bolt-action rifles
Early rifles