Fusil Modèle 1822
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 1080 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1822
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Fusil Modèle 1822 is a .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore muzzle-loading musket and the last flintlock infantry musket adopted for widespread service in the French Army. Manufactured at the royal arsenals of Saint-Étienne, Charleville, Maubeuge and Mutzig, it featured a conventional forward-action lock and a three-band full-length stock with a socket bayonet. From 1841 large numbers were converted to percussion ignition as the Modèle 1822T, and from 1860 many were further rifled in .708 caliber as the Modèle 1822T bis. Surplus examples were imported in quantity by the United States during the American Civil War.
The Modèle 1822 marked the close of the flintlock era in French service. Rather than scrap them when percussion ignition arrived, the French ran an enormous conversion program, turning thousands of 1822 flintlocks into percussion 1822T muskets and later rifling them as 1822T bis, squeezing decades more service from the same iron.
Standard line-infantry pattern figures; the Voltigeur light-infantry version used a shorter barrel and lighter weight. Percussion-converted (1822T) and rifled (1822T bis) specimens differ in lock and bore. Muzzle velocity is approximate for a period smoothbore.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- France
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1822 to 1842
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 1080 mm
- Overall length
- 1473 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Muzzleloader
- Firing mechanism
- Flintlock
- Trigger
- Single stage
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- White metal
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 427 m/s
- Effective range
- 91 m
- Maximum range
- 274 m
- Rate of fire
- 3 rpm
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.
Smoothbore barrel
Muzzle loaded
Three barrel bands
Socket bayonet lug
Ramrod
Forward action lock
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 | 4.40 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1473 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 1080 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Fusil Modèle 1822
How much does the Fusil Modèle 1822 weigh?
The Fusil Modèle 1822 weighs 4.40 kg (9.70 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Fusil Modèle 1822?
The Fusil Modèle 1822 is chambered in .69 Caliber Musket Ball.
How long is the Fusil Modèle 1822?
The Fusil Modèle 1822 is 1473 mm (58.0 in) long overall, with a 1080 mm (42.5 in) barrel.
Who makes the Fusil Modèle 1822?
The Fusil Modèle 1822 is made by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne (France).
When was the Fusil Modèle 1822 introduced?
The Fusil Modèle 1822 was introduced in 1822 and discontinued in 1842.
How does the Fusil Modèle 1822 operate?
The Fusil Modèle 1822 uses a muzzleloader action, and its firing mechanism is flintlock.
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 Army
- 1822
- United States (American Civil War imports)
- 1861
Provenance
Confidence in this record
66%
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/fusil-mod-le-1822' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fusil-mod-le-1822", "name": "Fusil Modèle 1822", "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": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "FR", "year_introduced": 1822, "barrel_length_mm": 1080, "weight_empty_g": 4400, "action_type": "muzzleloader"}