Mylonas M1872
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 820 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.20 kg
- Introduced
- 1872
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Mylonas M1872 is a Greek single-shot falling-block black-powder rifle designed in 1872 by Artillery Major Efstathios Mylonas at the Athens facility of the Greek Military Material Authority. A development of the Belgian M1870 Comblain action, it replaced the under-lever housing of Comblain's patent with a lever mounted ahead of and protruding below the trigger guard and added a larger external hammer. Chambered for the 11x59mmR Gras cartridge, it was the first rifle adopted by the Greek Army and predated French adoption of the Gras by two years. As Greece lacked the capacity to produce it in quantity, manufacture was contracted to Emile et Leon Nagant of Liege, Belgium.
Adopted before France fielded its own Gras rifle, the Mylonas gave Greece an early metallic-cartridge breechloader, but its falling-block action was soon judged inferior to the bolt-action Gras the army quickly switched to.
Considered inferior to the French Gras and replaced by it within a few years. Roughly 8,500 were built. A companion Mylonas pistol of similar mechanism was also produced.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Fabrique d'armes Emile et Leon Nagant
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Greece
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1872 to 1877
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 820 mm
- Overall length
- 1280 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.20 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Falling block
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 1
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
- 454 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2566 J
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 1600 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.
Under lever action
External hammer
Fixed iron sights
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 | 4.20 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1280 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 820 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 1 | 5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Mylonas M1872
How much does the Mylonas M1872 weigh?
The Mylonas M1872 weighs 4.20 kg (9.26 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Mylonas M1872?
The Mylonas M1872 is chambered in 11x59mmR Gras.
How many rounds does the Mylonas M1872 hold?
The Mylonas M1872 holds 1 rounds.
How long is the Mylonas M1872?
The Mylonas M1872 is 1280 mm (50.4 in) long overall, with a 820 mm (32.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the Mylonas M1872?
The Mylonas M1872 is made by Fabrique d'armes Emile et Leon Nagant (Belgium). It was designed by Efstathios Mylonas.
When was the Mylonas M1872 introduced?
The Mylonas M1872 was introduced in 1872 and discontinued in 1877.
How does the Mylonas M1872 operate?
The Mylonas M1872 uses a falling block 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
- Hellenic Army
- 1872
- Greek Gendarmerie
- Greece
Provenance
Confidence in this record
55%
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/mylonas-rifle-m1872' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mylonas-rifle-m1872", "name": "Mylonas M1872", "manufacturer": { "id": "nagant", "name": "Fabrique d'armes Emile et Leon Nagant", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1859, "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": "29b61b0c7819a3aee8ad04cf0bad0dd2ce0d0990b4f06fd9eb540548cb90f7e7" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "GR", "year_introduced": 1872, "barrel_length_mm": 820, "weight_empty_g": 4200, "action_type": "falling_block"}