Chassepot

The Chassepot was a French bolt-action, single-shot military rifle adopted in 1866. Its breech-loading design and rubber obturator gave it greater range and a faster rate of fire than many contemporary muzzle-loaders.

Paper cartridge: A firearm cartridge whose casing is made from combustible or tearable paper. The Chassepot loaded a paper cartridge through its breech.
Antoine Alphonse Chassepot: A French gunsmith and inventor whose name became associated with the Chassepot rifle. Chassepot developed the rifle adopted by the French army in 1866.
Franco-Prussian War: The 1870–1871 conflict in which Prussia and its German allies defeated France. The Chassepot was the French Army's principal rifle during the war.
Snider–Enfield: A British breech-loading rifle produced by converting the Pattern 1853 Enfield muzzle-loader. The Snider–Enfield used a hinged breech block and metallic cartridge rather than the Chassepot system.
Breech-loading firearm: A firearm loaded with ammunition through an opening at the rear of its barrel. The Chassepot belongs to the breech-loading transition away from muzzle-loading rifles.
French Army: The land warfare force of France, organized under the state. The French Army selected the Chassepot as its standard service rifle.
Battle of Gravelotte: A major battle fought between French and Prussian forces on 18 August 1870. French Chassepot fire inflicted severe losses on Prussian infantry at Gravelotte.
M1867 Werndl–Holub rifle: An Austro-Hungarian single-shot rifle with a rotating-block breech, adopted in 1867. Its rotating breech mechanism offered a different solution to single-shot loading.
Bolt-action: A firearm action in which a manually operated bolt opens and closes the breech. Its bolt extracted the spent case and chambered the next cartridge.
French Second Empire: The French regime ruled by Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870. The Chassepot entered French service during the Second Empire.

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BreechloaderBroader topic: It illustrates the rapid competition to improve military breechloaders.