French Infantry Rifle Model 1728

Exhibit of the Month 5 / 2016

French Infantry Rifle Model 1728

The French Infantry Rifle Model 1728 is a flintlock rifle with a smooth bore. Until the 1770s, it was the main weapon of the French infantry. Its shape followed the previous Model 1717, which was the first standardized rifle in the French army. It differed only by the addition of iron bands. It is characterized by its elegant stock shape known as "Patte de Vache" - cow's foot. A triangular socket bayonet was fitted to the rifle's barrel.

A spherical lead projectile was loaded into the weapon, part of the so-called cartridge, a simple paper cartridge used to speed up the loading of the weapon. A well-trained soldier could fire the Model 1728 up to 3 times per minute.

In 1740, the Model 1728 underwent its first modification when the original wooden ramrods were replaced with new iron ones. In 1746, newly manufactured weapons were fitted with a new type of flintlock mechanism.

This model was produced in French manufactories in Charleville, Maubeuge, and St. Etienne. A total of 375,000 pieces of the Model 1728, including modifications from 1740 and 1746, were produced.

The Model 1728 weighs around 5 kg and its length is 1.6 m. The caliber of the Model 1728 is 19 mm.

Our rifle likely arrived in Bohemia together with the French army of Marshal of France Louis Charles Auguste Fouquet, Duke of Belle-Isle. He commanded 30,000 French soldiers who invaded Bohemia alongside the Bavarian army in October 1741. Their task was to capture Prague and secure the coronation of the Bavarian Elector Charles Albert as King of Bohemia. Although the Franco-Bavarian army managed to capture Prague and Charles Albert was crowned in Prague, most of the Czech lands rallied behind the young Maria Theresa. The French army was eventually besieged in Prague, and in December 1742, Marshal Belle-Isle was forced to leave Prague and break through the French-occupied Cheb to Bavaria. However, the French military presence in Bohemia was just a small episode in the War of the Austrian Succession, which took place from 1740 to 1748.