Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 702 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.56 kg
- Introduced
- 1874
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 is the foot-gendarmerie carbine variant of the French Gras single-shot bolt-action system designed by Colonel Basile Gras. Chambered for the 11x59mmR Gras black-powder metallic cartridge, it shares the dimensions of the cavalry carbine but is furnished for dismounted gendarmes, with a brass muzzle band and upper band (but no reinforcing capucine) and a bent bolt handle. Unlike the mounted gendarmerie and cavalry carbines, it was issued to take the Modele 1866 yatagan sabre-bayonet.
France produced distinct Gras carbines for cavalry, mounted and foot gendarmes, and artillery, each subtly tailored in furniture and bayonet fitting so a soldier's branch of service could be read from his shoulder arm at a glance.
The foot (a pied) gendarmerie carbine is distinguished from the mounted (a cheval) carbine chiefly by its furniture and by its sabre-bayonet fitting rather than a socket bayonet. Surviving examples were commonly updated to the 1880 (M80) standard, which added a gas-relief groove to the bolt head.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- France
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1874 to 1886
- Variant of
- Gendarmerie carbine
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 702 mm
- Overall length
- 1175 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.56 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker 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
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 1500 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
Centerfire metallic cartridge
Bent bolt handle
Brass muzzle band- Brass upper band
Leaf rear sight
Sabre bayonet lug
Cleaning rod
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 409 carbines | 3.56 kg | 3.00 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 407 carbines | 1175 mm | 895 mm | Among the longest tenth |
| Barrel lengthAmong 423 carbines | 702 mm | 406 mm | Among the longest tenth |
| Magazine capacityAmong 423 carbines | 1 | 21 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874
How much does the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 weigh?
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 weighs 3.56 kg (7.85 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874?
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 is chambered in 11x59mmR Gras.
How many rounds does the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 hold?
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 holds 1 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874?
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 is 1175 mm (46.3 in) long overall, with a 702 mm (27.6 in) barrel.
Who makes the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874?
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 is made by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne (France). It was designed by Basile Gras.
When was the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 introduced?
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 was introduced in 1874 and discontinued in 1886.
How does the Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 operate?
The Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker 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
- French Gendarmerie
- 1874
- French Army
- 1874
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/carabine-de-gendarmerie-a-pied-mle-1874' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "carabine-de-gendarmerie-a-pied-mle-1874", "name": "Carabine de Gendarmerie a Pied Mle 1874", "manufacturer": { "id": "mas", "name": "Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne", "countryCode": "FR", "foundedYear": 1764, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "87c072fb1be6f40e986a35204e14f677681780f4cc933604551acc79f0df336c" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "FR", "year_introduced": 1874, "barrel_length_mm": 702, "weight_empty_g": 3560, "action_type": "bolt_action"}