Albini-Braendlin M1867
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 876 mm
- Weight, empty
- Not recorded
- Introduced
- 1867
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Albini-Braendlin M1867 was the standard breech-loading service rifle of the Belgian Army, adopted in 1867. It used a front-hinged, forward-lifting breechblock (the Albini patent, refined by London gunmaker Francis Braendlin) operated in conjunction with an external side-lock hammer: the hammer's striker passed through the receiver to drive the firing pin while simultaneously locking the block at the moment of ignition. Chambered for the 11mm Albini black-powder centerfire cartridge, many were produced as conversions of earlier Belgian percussion muskets.
Designed by an Italian naval officer, Augusto Albini, and perfected by a London gunmaker, the rifle ironically saw far more service arming neutral Belgium than the Italian navy it was originally pitched to.
The action is closely related to the British Snider but uses a forward-tilting rather than side-hinged block. Numerous examples were arsenal conversions of muzzle-loading muskets; later Belgian service moved to the Comblain and then the Mauser.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Manufacture d'Armes de l'Etat (Belgium)
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1867 to 1880
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 876 mm
- Overall length
- 1360 mm
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Hinged breechblock
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 1
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 430 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2218 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 1400 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Single shot
Metallic cartridge
Front hinged breechblock
External hammer
Bayonet lug
Ladder rear sight
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1360 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 876 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 1 | 5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Albini-Braendlin M1867
What caliber is the Albini-Braendlin M1867?
The Albini-Braendlin M1867 is chambered in 11x42mmR Albini.
How many rounds does the Albini-Braendlin M1867 hold?
The Albini-Braendlin M1867 holds 1 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Albini-Braendlin M1867?
The Albini-Braendlin M1867 is 1360 mm (53.5 in) long overall, with a 876 mm (34.5 in) barrel.
Who makes the Albini-Braendlin M1867?
The Albini-Braendlin M1867 is made by Manufacture d'Armes de l'Etat (Belgium) (Belgium). It was designed by Augusto Albini.
When was the Albini-Braendlin M1867 introduced?
The Albini-Braendlin M1867 was introduced in 1867 and discontinued in 1880.
How does the Albini-Braendlin M1867 operate?
The Albini-Braendlin M1867 uses a hinged breechblock action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Belgian Army
- 1867
Provenance
Confidence in this record
68%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/albini-braendlin' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "albini-braendlin", "name": "Albini-Braendlin M1867", "manufacturer": { "id": "manufacture-darmes-de-letat-belge", "name": "Manufacture d'Armes de l'Etat (Belgium)", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1836, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "4e8e1ee87d51e35f3116b50ded0fe484566ab0487576ceff87c46c7a2773525f" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1867, "barrel_length_mm": 876, "weight_empty_g": null, "action_type": "hinged_breechblock"}