Original French Model 1866 Chassepot Needle Fire Rifle Dated 1868 - Matching Serial No 33103 Sterling SMG Polished steel construction and decorated

Polished steel construction and decorated with brass rosettes around small brim with brass plume holder on the rear

until she was sold for scrap in 2012

Marine Commandant Thomas Holcomb ordered the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment to be disbanded

It is missing the top "rib" due to the nature of the replica receiver

due to the heavy losses that had been sustained

Original French Model 1866 Chassepot Needle Fire Rifle Dated 1868 - Matching Serial No 33103 Sterling SMG Polished steel construction and decoratedOriginal Item: Only One Available. Despite the fact that the French needle fire Chassepot rifle was far superior to the needle fire Prussian Dreyse rifle, the French took a swift and decisive beating in the war of 1870 71. In fairness to the French, the defeat was due to Napoleon III's foolhardiness in allowing himself to get captured at the Battle of Sedan and the show was then over. The Chassepot rifle of 1866 was a single shot bolt action rifle and