Chapuis Elan Classic
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.67 kg
- Introduced
- 2022
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Chapuis Elan Classic is a side-by-side break-action double rifle built by the French maker Chapuis Armes for dangerous-game hunting. Chambered in the classic African cartridges .470 Nitro Express and .450/.400 Nitro Express 3-inch, it uses a coin-finished boxlock action with double triggers, automatic ejectors and a manual safety. The rifle wears AAA-grade satin Circassian walnut with a pistol-grip stock, laser-engraved scroll-and-game receiver, and express sights (one standing, three folding) over a receiver machined to accept Recknagel scope bases.
Chapuis Armes was founded in 1927 in the French gunmaking town of Saint-Bonnet-le-Chateau and became part of Beretta Holding in 2019, after which the Elan line was introduced to bring a modern French-built African double rifle to the North American market.
The .470 NE model (#16702) weighs about 10.3 lb with a 24-inch barrel and 41-inch overall length; the .450/.400 NE model (#16701) is lighter at about 9.5 lb with a 25.5-inch barrel. Length of pull is 15.3 inches. Sold in North America through Chapuis USA (part of the Beretta Holding group).
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Chapuis Armes
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- France
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2022
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Overall length
- 1041 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.67 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Internal hammer
- Trigger
- Double trigger
- Capacity
- 2
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Coin
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 640 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 6636 J
- Effective range
- 100 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.
Boxlock action
Automatic ejectors
Double trigger
Express sights
Laser engraved receiver
Recknagel scope bases
Pistol grip stock
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 1,612 rifles | 4.67 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1041 mm | 1080 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 610 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 2 | 5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Chapuis Elan Classic
How much does the Chapuis Elan Classic weigh?
The Chapuis Elan Classic weighs 4.67 kg (10.30 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Chapuis Elan Classic?
The Chapuis Elan Classic is chambered in .470 Nitro Express and .450/.400 Nitro Express 3-inch.
How many rounds does the Chapuis Elan Classic hold?
The Chapuis Elan Classic holds 2 rounds.
How long is the Chapuis Elan Classic?
The Chapuis Elan Classic is 1041 mm (41.0 in) long overall, with a 610 mm (24.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Chapuis Elan Classic?
The Chapuis Elan Classic is made by Chapuis Armes (France). It was designed by Chapuis Armes.
When was the Chapuis Elan Classic introduced?
The Chapuis Elan Classic was introduced in 2022.
How does the Chapuis Elan Classic operate?
The Chapuis Elan Classic uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is internal hammer.
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
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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/chapuis-elan-classic-double-rifle' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "chapuis-elan-classic-double-rifle", "name": "Chapuis Elan Classic", "manufacturer": { "id": "chapuis-armes", "name": "Chapuis Armes", "countryCode": "FR", "foundedYear": 1985, "website": "https://www.chapuis-armes.com", "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": "c5e499e65004ccc62bf9edf326170591b45ad0c819b59c48c47f3b5d7e7ae87e" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "FR", "year_introduced": 2022, "barrel_length_mm": 610, "weight_empty_g": 4672, "action_type": "break_action"}