I Have This Old Gun: French Tabatière Rifle

Published on October 9, 2024
Duration: 5:23

This video details the fascinating evolution of the French Tabatière rifle, tracing its journey from a smoothbore flintlock to a breach-loading firearm. It highlights how these rifles were converted to percussion and then to breach-loading systems, often becoming affordable shotguns sold in the United States and marketed as 'Zulu' shotguns. The discussion includes comparisons to American and British breach-loading systems of the era.

Quick Summary

The French Tabatière rifle evolved from a flintlock musket to a breach-loader, often converted to fire 12 gauge shotshells and marketed as 'Zulu' shotguns. Its breach mechanism featured a hinged block, and extraction utilized a spring-loaded latch and extractor.

Chapters

  1. 00:02Rifle Career Evolution
  2. 00:20Introduction to the Tabatière Rifle
  3. 00:30Need for Breach-Loading Conversions
  4. 00:46Breach Loading Mechanism
  5. 00:50American Springfield Trapdoor System
  6. 01:10British Snider System
  7. 01:57Tabatière Breach Loading System
  8. 02:26Tabatière Caliber and Loading
  9. 02:47Tabatière Unloading Mechanism
  10. 03:20Post-War Conversions
  11. 03:45Belgian Conversions to 12 Gauge
  12. 03:58Marketing as 'Zulu' Shotguns
  13. 04:20Appeal to Frontier Settlers
  14. 04:39Surviving Tabatière Rifles
  15. 04:49Collector's Perspective
  16. 05:10Carbines and Rifles Converted

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the French Tabatière rifle originally?

The French Tabatière rifle began its life as a smoothbore flintlock musket. Over time, it underwent significant modifications, including being rifled, converted to percussion ignition, and eventually adapted into a breach-loading firearm.

How did the Tabatière rifle's breach-loading mechanism work?

The Tabatière featured a hinged breach block at the rear of the action. To load, the hinge was opened to the right, exposing the chamber. A metallic cartridge was inserted, the breach closed, and the hammer cocked for firing.

What were 'Zulu' shotguns?

'Zulu' shotguns were typically French Tabatière rifles that were converted by Belgian arms makers. They had their stocks and barrels shortened, and were re-chambered to fire 12 gauge shotshells. They were marketed as 'Zulu' shotguns in the US for exotic appeal.

How did the Tabatière's extraction system compare to other breach-loaders?

The Tabatière used a spring-loaded latch and extractor to pull the spent cartridge from the chamber when the breach was opened. This was less automated than the American Springfield trapdoor, which ejected the cartridge, but more integrated than the manual dumping required for some other systems like the Snider.

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