There appeared now to be a constant danger of marrying the American girl; it was something one had to reckon with, like the railway, the telegraph, the discovery of dynamite, the
Chassepot rifle, the Socialistic spirit: it was one of the complications of modern life.
Initially troops were armed with imports such as the French
Chassepot and Gras, Dutch Beaumont rifles and the French Lefaucheux-style pinfire revolvers.
The resulting Fucile d' Fanteria Modello 1860/67 was a bolt-action, needle-fire rifle inspired by the German Dreyse and French
Chassepot rifles, and fired a combustible 17.5mm paper cartridge.
There were several options, including a needle-fire system like the Dreyse, in which a long needle penetrated a paper cartridge to ignite a percussion cap, and the
Chassepot, then being adopted by the French, which also employed a self-consuming cartridge.
1866 p" (the
Chassepot), the French were no match for Prussian armies.
This proved almost useless, since it was finally the bolt-action, breech-loading needle rifle "
Chassepot" to come away victorious from these military tests.
C'est epatant comme ca a du chien, les notaires, les vitriers, les percepteurs [...] et tous les ventres [c'est-a-dire, la reduction du bourgeois a son ventre saillant] qui,
chassepot au coeur, font du patrouillotisme [...].
French long-service professionals fought against Prussian conscripts,
Chassepot rifles and Mitrailleuse machine guns against the Dreyse needle gun, Krupp's new steel breech-loading six-pounder gun against the French army's four-pounder bronze muzzle-loaders, an efficient general staff against a poor one.
1.866
Chassepot rifles were obtained, possibly from German dealers, but were found unsuitable and returned to Germany to be converted to use metallic cartridges.