The Berthier Mousqueton Mle M16 - PFRC
The BerthierMousqueton Mle M16- a fine French service carbineby Alek WadiWTesting the MousquetonBerthier M16 at 100m.hen retired, you do thingsat your own pace: fishing,hunting, shooting at therange, travelling, gardeningand caring for your family. You also shareold family photos with your kids. Whiledoing this, I unearthed a photographfrom my father during the World War IITunisia Campaign (1942-43). Dad rarelymentioned the events, but I rememberhe always referred to his service rifle asthe ‘Mouste-con’, an affectionate Frenchmilitary slang for his loyal Mousqueton. Onthis photo I could positively identify a fiveshot Berthier Mousqueton Modèle 1916.But what is a Mousqueton or a carbinecompared to a rifle prior to 1945?Until the late 19th-early 20th century, arifle (‘fusil’ in French) was a heavy largecalibre, long-barrelled firearm fitted witha long bayonet and allocated to infantry.At the time, the length of the rifle fittedwith a bayonet was important using thehedgehog formation or line of defenceto shock and repulse a cavalry charge.Artillery, engineering units and militarypolice had rarely to deal with cavalrycharges, hence a lighter short-barrel rifle(a Mousqueton - now called a carbine) wasallocated to them. The Mousqueton wasalso a dedicated rifle used by mountedtroops on horseback or even later onbicycle or motorbike by the gendarmerie. Nowadays, there are no moreMousquetons for obsolete mounted troops,but simply rifles and carbines.After many years looking, I acquired aMousqueton Mle 1892 M16. But first, let usglance at the genesis of the French Berthierservice firearms.Australian Shooter 83
The Berthier Mousqueton Mle M16A post-war rifle raceFranco-German antagonism led to anarms race long before and after the 1870Franco-Prussian War. By 1866, the Frenchhad commissioned the breechloader 11mmChassepot needle rifle while the Prussiansshot the 15.4mm 1848 Dreyse needle rifleand the British used the massive .577Snider-Enfield (1866). But most innovationscame from the German and French rivalry.In 1871, the German Empire fielded theInfanterie-gewehr 71 bolt-action single-shot11.15x60mmR. In turn, in the same year,the British Empire adopted the lever-actionMartini-Henry tilting-block single-shotbreechloading rifle.By 1874, the French utilised the singleshot GRAS Modèle 1866/74 fusil using an11x59.5mmR metallic cartridge. The racefor more firepower per rifle was intensifying. The Prussians swiftly adopted amodified G71 (Infanterie-gewehr M71/84)with an eight-round tubular magazine. All ofthese used black powder/low bullet velocity(350mps).Soon new rifles appeared with a springloaded Mannlicher magazine box stackingup rounds for fast reloading. Another issuesurfaced: at the time, besides the infantry,many troops were still mounted like theLancers, Hussars and Cuirassiers who hadonce been armed with swords or lances.After being long equipped with swords,lances and single-shot black powder pistols,French mounted troops were equippedwith rifles and the massive M1873 11mmrevolver. But the French cavalry was mostlystruggling with GRAS rifles. Furthermore,the artillery corps was still carrying longbarrel rifles while manning cannons.In 1886, the French adopted the innovative eight-round tubular magazine(Kropatschek design) Fusil Lebel ModèleAlek Wadi’s father shootingthe Mousqueton M16 duringthe North African campaign inTunisia in WWII (1942).1886 - a world first to use smokelessgunpowder and a smaller 8mm calibre.In spite of the Lebel’s superior ballisticand long-range accuracy, this beautifullyengineered rifle was difficult to operateand maintain in the field. Furthermore, thetubular magazine concept was slow andtough to reload and anyway too long a rifle(130cm with an 80cm barrel) for trenchwarfare and cavalry.The need for a shorter and lighter servicecarbine with an efficient reloading systembecame glaringly evident, more so allowingeasy and fast shooting and reloading whileriding a horse, manning artillery or intrenches. By 1888, the Germans had theInfanterie-gewehr M88 with a five-round,single-column Mannlicher magazine andthe 7.92x57J smokeless powder cartridge tocounter the 8mm Lebel.In turn, in March 1890, the short andlight Mousqueton and carbines designedby Emile Berthier with the three-roundMannlicher magazine surfaced in theFrench Army. The Germans upgraded theM88 into the famous Infanterie-gewehrM98 (1898) with a shorter barrel (74cmfor the rifle and 59cm for the carbine) anda staggered five-round magazine with anew stripper clip, which was much easierand faster to use than the Mannlicher packcharger. The early 1890 Berthiers laggedbehind with the three-round pack magazine,but were much valued by French troops.DesignModel and units issuedCartridgeLengthWeight Barrel(mm)(mm)(kg)(mm)BerthierMousqueton de Cavalerie 18908x50R9453.0453BerthierCarabine de Cuirassier 18908x50R9453.0453(both in excess of 220,000 units)BerthierCarabine de Gendarmerie 1890 (58,871)8x50R9453.1453BerthierMousqueton d’Artillerie 1892 (890,459)8x50R9453.0453LebelFusil Lebel 1886-93 (3,450,000)8x50R13004.2800BerthierFusil 1902 ‘Indochinois’8x50R11263.3633BerthierFusil 1907 ‘Sénégalais’8x50R13063.8803BerthierFusil 1907/158x50R13033.8798BerthierFusil 1907/15 M168x50R13033.8798BerthierMousqueton 1892 M16 or M16 (487,480)8x50R9453.3453BerthierFusil 1907/15 M347.5x5410803.7580BerthierFusil 1902 M377.5x5410753.7570MAS36Fusil MAS36 (1,115,000)7.5x5410213.7575Rounds/magazine typewith charger or annlicher5/Mannlicher5/Mauser clip5/Mauser clip5/Mauser clipMousqueton 1892 M16 reads: Model 1892 modified 1916.During wars, many Berthiers were refurbished with fully interchangeable parts bearing different serial numbers.84 Australian Shooter
The Berthier Mousqueton Mle M16During WWI, various carbines and mousquetons were available from other commoncontemporary rifles (with calibre) in: 1887 France: Fusil Lebel M86 in8x50mmR Lebel 1888 Germany: Gewehr 88 in7.92x57mm Mauser 1891 Italy: Carcano M91 in 6.5x52mm 1891 Japan: Arisaka Type 30 in6.5x50mm Arisaka 1891 Russia: Mosin-Nagant M91 in7.62x54mmR 1891 Belgium: 1889 Belgian Mauser in7.65x53mm Argentine 1893 Spain: Mauser M93 in 7x57mmMauser 1893 Turkey: Mauser M93 in 7.65x53mmArgentine 1895 Austria-Hungary: MannlicherM1895 in 8x50mmR Mannlicher 1896 Sweden: Gevär m/96 in 6.5x55mm 1903 USA: M1903 Springfield in 30-06Springfield 1907 UK: SMLE Mk III Lee-Enfield in.303R 1911 Switzerland: Schmidt-Rubin1896/11 in 7.5x55 Swiss.The improved Berthier Fusil 1907/15M16 and Mousqueton M16 with five-roundMannlicher magazine became available inNovember 1916 to equip the French andThe Berthier MousquetonM16 with blade bayonetand chargers.colonial troops along with the Lebel 1886/M93 rifles. The details of the Berthier firearms and the Mousqueton 1892 M16 that myfather dutifully carried for nearly nine yearsof his army time with the colonial Zouaves,the artillery corps and mine-clearing units inTunisia, are shown in the accompanying table.Mousquetons, carbines and riflesOver the years Berthier firearms wereupgraded before, during and after WWI,with modifications to the stock, bolt handle,bolt lugs, chamber, magazine, sling attachments, sights, cleaning rod, bayonet lugand stacking hardware resulting in some 11different configurations between 1890 and1937 before being replaced by the MAS367.5x54mm-calibre rifle (see the September2009 Australian Shooter).The Berthier Mousqueton M16All Berthier firearms evolved from the 1890Mousqueton de Cavalerie and Carabinede Cuirassier 1890 having a three-roundmagazine concealed in the stock. TheBerthier Mousqueton M16 differs withits five-rounds charger Mannlicher-typetin magazine protruding ahead of the triggerguard such as the Mosin-Nagant 1891.The floorplate opens up to eject the five- orthree-cartridge pack-charger.The stock and slingThe Mousqueton M16 linseed oil treated AUSTRALIAN OUTBACKAustralian Shooter 85
The Berthier Mousqueton Mle M16walnut stock is has two parts: the stockitself, with two cross-pins either side ofthe magazine, is 85cm long with 35cm fromthe rear butt to the trigger; and a top 20cmhand-guard ahead of the bolt enclosing therear-sight with the serial number in anotherwindow on the left side. Early Berthiershad a brass-tipped rod in a channel on theleft side of the stock gradually removedand cleanly filled in with a wood band from1927.Many variations of the Berthier stockwere issued; the most noticeable is theCuirassier three-round carbine 1890 lackingthe buttstock comb and with a chequerednon-slip leather buttplate to be shoulderedby the Cuirassiers wearing steel breastplates. The 1890 underside toe swivel wasabandoned as it caught uniforms and wasreplaced in 1895 with an inletted groove onthe left side of the buttstock with a slingsteel bar to hold the 3cm-wide leather sling.The early concentric front swivel sling ringunderneath the barrel band was moved tothe right side. The Mousqueton was nowcomfortably carried flat on every trooper’sback.The receiver-trigger-magazineand pack-chargerThe beautifully machined one-pieceBerthier steel trigger/single-stack magazine mechanism sits into the steel forgedreceiver. To take out the set, the userremoves the screw at the rear of the triggerguard then removes the tamper-proofwood screw in front of the magazine cover.The slotted screw on the right side of theThe rear-sight enclosed into the hand-guardand the window exposing the serial number.86 Australian ShooterTesting the BerthierMousqueton M16 at100m with reloadedammunition with.323 projectiles.receiver then disengages the mechanismsecured with a front hook engaged into thereceiver. A recoil lug is at the rear of thereceiver. The magazine elevator is presseddown when the three- or five-round packcharger is inserted.To remove the charger with the rounds init, depress the charger catch located insidethe triggerguard and the charger will popout of the receiver. The trigger pull is acrisp two-stage 2.5kg. After the last shot,the empty charger is released through theopen floorplate by depressing the chargercatch or simply by introducing a full threeor five-round charger.The barrelThe thin barrel - 12.5mm at the muzzleand 453mm long - was chambered for thenew 8x50mmR Lebel cartridges up tothe mid 1930s. It has a one in 25cm (9.5")four-grooved left-hand twist. The grooveand the land diameter are 8.3 and 8mmrespectively. Note that the barrel stamped‘N’ is for .325/.327" projectiles and not forthe common .323". Two barrel bands holdthe barrel onto the stock: one with a roundsling swivel and the other at the end ofthe stock with a bayonet lug and an offsetstacking hook (quillon) for standing a trio ofcarbines upwards.The boltThe Mousqueton has a 90-degree turndown bolt handle, while the Berthier had astraight one. The bolt can only be removedfrom the receiver by unscrewing the largeslotted screw on the bolt body then rotatingclockwise the bolt-head out of the bolt bodynow in three main parts: the bolt head withthe extractor and two vertical lugs; the boltbody with the bolt handle, the bolt headscrew, the firing pin with a core spring andhammerless cocking piece; and the cockingpiece that is disconnected from the boltbody by pressing the firing pin against awooden surface and turning the bolt endknob freeing the firing pin and main spring.The bolt is beautifully manufactured and
The Berthier Mousqueton Mle M16comprises only eight parts. The pearshaped bolt handle is a black finish, whilethe bolt body is clean polished steel.The sightsThe tangent rear-sight is graduated from200 to 1000m and extended by a laddersight from 1200 to 2000m for volley fire.The first V-shaped notch was replacedwith a square U-notch. The trapezoidalfront post sight welded 10mm before themuzzle is 4mm wide at the top with ashallow V-groove in it to allow for accurateshooting. The line of sight is 35cm long.The effective firing range is given to beabout 200 to 250m.The bayonetThe different Berthier versions were fittedwith blade (Mle 1892) or spike bayonets.The markingsThe serial number is on the left side of thewooden hand-guard, repeated on each majorpart and stamped on the buttstock left sideand left side of the receiver. The barrelmanufacturer (MA C - Châtellerault, MA T- Tulle or MA P - Paris) and manufacturingdate and other control stamps appear on thechamber. But the most important markingis the ‘N’ stamps on the receiver ring andthe chamber, indicating that the chamberwas re-reamed (1932) to accept the ‘balle’spitzer projectile N (8mm M 1932N), whichhas a larger diameter (.325, .327) comparedto the early balle M and D (.323).The buttstock is also embossed with theserial number and often a dated manufacturer seal. When removing the buttplate,you will find the stock manufacturer stampembossed and a 2x8cm hole to safely carrymessages.The safetyLike all French service rifles up to WWII,the Berthier had no safety device, but onlyan early half-cock notch, which was soonremoved because too many soldiers hadforgotten to remove the safety catch duringbattle. Also, a safety on a service riflewas an added manufacturing cost that theFrench Government of the time would notconsider: hence saving on life and on costs.The cartridgeIn 1884, the French chemist Paul Vieilleinvented and patented the modern nitrocellulose-based smokeless gunpowder, whichwas three times more powerful than blackpowder by weight and leaving little residue.Two years later, the French Armyadopted a smallbore/smokeless powderThe 8x51mmRLebel ‘BalleM’ 1886, left,‘Balle D’ 1898and ‘Balle N’1932, shownwith a Lebelcase. Before you renew anyInsurance Policy talkto Trevor about anobligation FREE quote.The SSAA General Insurance Brokerageis a member advantage you can trust.All General InsurancesThey arrange all types of personal and business insurance with coverage fromAustralia’s leading insurance companies. They know the insurance market and understand insurance policiesThey provide obligation FREE quotesThey understand your business and your insurance needsThey make sure everything is correctly coveredYou talk to Trevor who will give you professional adviceThey will manage your claims, taking care of all the detailsA proportion of commissions paid to the Brokerage flow back to the SSAAThe Brokerage is a SSAA member advantage and is there to help youBefore you renew any policy make sure you get an obligation FREE quotefrom Trevor. The SSAA General Insurance Brokerage works for you.Call Trevor Jenkin - 08 8332 0281A SSAA member advantageSSAA Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd CAR 315403 ABN 86 077 822 970 is a Corporate Authorised Representative of PSC Connect Pty Ltd ABN 23 141 574 914 / AFSL 344648NOG NOV1 HPAustralian Shooter 87
The Berthier Mousqueton Mle M16ammunition. This was the 8x50R Lebel forthe Lebel 1886 imitated by Switzerland thesame year, Germany and Austria (1888),Italy, Japan and Russia (1891), the US(1892) and Britain (1895).All Berthiers up to 1932 and after usedthe 8x50R Lebel ammunition. The 1886truncated-cone-shaped, 51mm-long 8x50Rrimmed case was initially loaded witha 232-grain flat-nose, lead-cored cupronicklet jacketed bullet (‘Balle M’) propelledby smokeless powder at 628mps. It wasthen replaced in 1898 by the first militaryspitzer boat-tailed mono-metal turnedbrass or copper 198-grain bullet (‘Balle D’at 750mps) used also for the Hotchkiss andChauchat machine-guns.It was ultimately upgraded to thecartridge Modèle 1932N, with an improvedspitzer boat-tail, lead-cored and cupronickel-over-steel jacketed 232-grain ‘BalleN’ (700mps, mostly for machine-guns) witha reinforced neck case diameter of .357"instead of .347" for the early ammunition.The firing spring was reinforced and thesights modified to accommodate the newammunition’s ballistic: a logistic nightmare.The available 8x51R Lebel PPU-Partizancase and factory ammunitions (Ref. A-417,700mps) use a 200-grain FMJ boat-tail .327bullet (Ref. B-417). In any case, do notshoot vintage ‘N’ or factory ammunition inany Berthier or Lebel barrel and chambernot stamped with an ‘N’.At the rangeThe Berthier Mousqueton M16 comes fastto the shoulder, with the supporting handcomfortably placed in front of the magazine. After a necessary barrel clean-up, Itested my Mousqueton M16 using reloadedPPU-Partizan cases with LR210 Federalprimers and 8mm Hornady 195-grainbullets (.323, ref. 3236) propelled by 45grains of ADI 2206H, not crimped, withan overall length of 71mm, leaving a staggering free-bore of 7mm. This free-bore islikely to accommodate the longer 232-grainservice ‘balle N’. The average velocity Imeasured with my Berthier M16 is about649mps (SD 2.9mps, five shots).You may use undersized .323 projectilesin any Berthier stamped or not stamped‘N’, but accuracy may suffer. The first testtarget using the .323 Hornady projectilecertainly confirms a poor accuracy justacceptable for a service firearm. This maybe improved using other bullet brands anddiameters. However, with my reloading, mysight on 400m and with some practice, I hita 50cm-diameter gong target at 400m fourtimes out of five shots.The BerthierMousqueton M16bolt with the fiveround pack-charger.The Mousqueton M16 rate of fire isreported to be about 20 to 25 rounds perminute with a bit of practice as I foundthe pack-charger difficult to load withcartridges and then operate, but again,practice helps. I also remember my fathersaying the Mousqueton recoil was fierce.He was right you will get a kick if theMousqueton is not properly shouldered anda stunning muzzle blast too.In closing, I am happy to reconnect withmy father’s memorabilia and learn moreabout his Mousqueton - a fine and littleknown carbine that would still do well thesedays for large feral hunting and possibly beused in Combined Services Rifle competitions.Queensland Shooters Supplies266 Brisbane St, West Ipswich, Qld 4305Phone: 07 3202 2111 Fax: 07 3812 8071Email: qss.sales@ssaaqld.org.auSTARLINE BRASSSSAA MEMBERSWith each purchase you make instore put your name Starline .45-90 . 150 per 100and phone number into the hat for a great prizeLAST OF THE SUPER SAFE SALEdrawn the first of each month.This month’s prize is a gift certificate for a Gladiator small 5-gun 35kg 250x250x1500 . 180.22 shoot at your indoor range for one.NEW PISTOL SALEH2389 S&W Mod 625 .45ACP -shot rev4" barrel S/S . 1650H2422 S&W Mod 617 .22 10-shot rev6" barrel S/S . 1399H2562 Glock Mod 17A Gen 4 9mm S/A122mm barrel . 1025FEDERAL SMALL PISTOL PRIMERSH2561 Glock Mod 34 IPSC 9mmCase 5000 rounds 315135mm barrel . 1155Must show SSAA membership cardH2513 Ruger Mod GP100 .22 rev 10-shotand pickup only.140mm barrel . 1290Browning 9mm case - buy 500 rounds for 250 H2369 Ruger Charger .22 Takedown Blue/Syn. 655CCI STANDARD VELOCITY .22Case 5000 rounds 479Must show SSAA membership cardand pickup onlyPRE-LOVED PISTOL SALE.310 CADETBertram .310 Cadet unprimed brass . 85 per 100 H2594 Glock Mod 41 45ACP S/A vgc . 950H2654TaurusMod 66 .357 blue revolver vgc . 400Spartan .310 125gr RN . 500 pkt 75H2633 & H2632 pair of Armi Mod San MarcoPost Australia-wide.357 Single Action revolvers 120mm barrelsblue both vgc .each 300LAST ONE - LEFT-HAND RIFLEH2604 Ruger Super Blackhawk ‘AS IS’ PARTS ORNEW Lithgow Crossover .17HMR LA101third poly titanium . 999 RESTORE ONLY .44 Mag S/S 150mm brl . 275H2199 Browning Buckmark .22 good cond . 350H2615 Browning Buckmark .22 good cond . 250LUCKY 13 MAGAZINESTikka .222/223 10-shot . 190 H2664 Browning Buckmark .22 good cond . 199Remington 7600 10-shot . 190 H2622 Ruger MKII .22 VGC S/S 4 mags . 575H2568 Ruger Single Ten .22 140mm brl vgc . 650Post free Australia-wide.H2416 Walther Mod SP22 .22 vgc . 400Remington 7615 .223 5-shot magazine . 55 H2653 Colt Mod Target .22 vgc . 450H1260 Baikal Mod Mum .22 good. 175H2427 Crossman Mod 250 Air pistol .177 good 100WINCHESTER POWDER SALEWinchester Auto Comp . 1lb tub 53SSAA IPSWICH CITY PISTOL CLUBWinchester Auto Comp . 8lb tub 399Fully supervised - no licence requiredWinchester .231 Handgun . 1lb tub 75Monday to Friday 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-5pmWinchester WSF Super Field . 8lb tub 399Sunday 10am-4pmPackages start from 40 - phone 3812 1184 to bookADI 4kg AR2206H - 320Dealers Lic No. 50000025Please note - all powder, ammunition and primers requiring transport must go by dangerous goods transport.88 Australian Shooter
1907 UK: SMLE Mk III Lee-Enfield in .303R 1911 Switzerland: Schmidt-Rubin 1896/11 in 7.5x55 Swiss. The improved Berthier Fusil 1907/15 M16 and Mousqueton M16 with five-round Mannlicher magazine became available in November 1916 to equip the French and colonial troops along with the Lebel 1886/ M93 rifles. The details of the Berthier fire-
and the chart for SXC coolant caps on SX super chuck page. 7. 8. JIS. 11 11 11 11 15 15 19 18.796 15 15 19 19 19 19 19 23 23 28.956 13 19 . 20.828 9 14 14 14 14 12.95 21 21 21 21 19.6 12.5 12.5 12.5 12.5 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 25 25 25 13 17 17 17 17 17 25 25 25 25 25 M12 M12 M12 M12 M16 M16 M16 M16 M16 M16 M16 M16 M16 M16 M16 M24 .
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